


The Black Dragon

by megsblackfire



Series: Fear The Dragons [1]
Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Kano does not know how to be gentle, Kidnapping, M/M, Manipulation, Mortal Kombat X - Freeform, Sexual Content, crack ship for me, hidden agendas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-01-22 23:23:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 33,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18537565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: Erron Black was not fond of the Black Dragons. Kano is an asshole, but he is a rather dedicated lover.Now if only the dumbass would stop doing things that got both of them in trouble, that would be fantastic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've fallen down another shipping hole. I started rewatching Mortal Kombat X videos and it has been downhill ever since. Enjoy some Universe Alterations.

Erron let out a soft groan as he rolled off of his bed. His feet hit the stone floor and the shock of cold sent shivers up his spine. He rose and shook himself, grumbling softly as he headed for the window. He shifted the cloth aside, peering out into the Outworld morning. The light made him squint; his room was always incredibly dark; and he picked out a few familiar sights that reassured him that nothing untoward was heading for him.

“Close the damn curtain,” a groggy voice snarled behind him. “Right in my good eye; damn it.”

“Sorry,” Erron apologized as he dropped the curtain back across the window. “I forget about you sometimes.”

“Liar,” his bedmate growled as his brown eye rolled towards him. “You just like hearing me hiss.”

“Maybe; ‘bout the only noise I can get out of you first thing in the morning,” Erron snorted as he walked back towards his bed.

The other man’s arm snaked out faster than Erron was expecting from a man that had just been rudely awakened. He was dragged up onto the bed, over the man’s hips, and barely managed to brace himself against the headboards before thick digits were digging into the taunt meat of his backside.

“Really?” he sighed heavily. “Was that necessary?”

“I like watching you off-balance,” the other man smirked. “Only time your eyes have emotion.”

“Asshole.”

The thick fingers dug in hard and Erron snarled. His bedmate let out a low growl of words, about the only spell the man knew, and Erron trembled as he felt liquid ooze out of his backside. He groaned, leaning forward as a thick finger pushed through the lubricant and smeared it against his entrance.

“You love it when I’m mean,” his bedmate grinned.

“You don’t do ‘nice’,” Erron growled. “Fuck me.”

“Demanding, aren’t we?”

“Shut up.”

Kano threw his head back and laughed before his finger pushed into Erron’s backside. Erron let out a soft gasp and arched his back. Kano grinned up at him, working his finger in to the second knuckle before he started to slowly move it.

“Would you look at that; still eager for another round,” he teased. “Didn’t wear you out last night, did I?”

“Do you ever stop talking?” Erron growled.

At least, he hoped it was a growl that came out of his mouth and not that embarrassing groan that Kano never failed to pull from him.  Men like Erron were not supposed to moan like cheap whores; he certainly didn’t want anyone to hear him make that horrible noise. Kano never seemed to tire of hearing it, though. Unsurprising since the man was a massive dick, but still annoying.

“You love my accent,” Kano smirked. “Americans love the accent.”

Erron snorted. He wouldn’t deny that the accent was gorgeous to listen to, but he would like it if Kano wasn’t teasing him constantly. It was constant. It was unending. He couldn’t get the man to stop, not even when he broke and actually begged. He did what he wanted and fuck everyone else’s opinion. In any other situation, he might have been impressed.

Kano’s teeth found the underside of Erron’s jaw. He bit hard, bruising the skin; it was the only place he could get away with doing that. Erron’s mask covered his jaw and no one ever saw the vicious, bruised lovebites that Kano left on his flesh.  Kano was also fond of leaving thin scratches across Erron’s thighs from his knives. No one ever saw those either, but he had a feeling that Reptile could smell the blood from his wounds.

“Must you?” he growled.

“Gotta mark you somehow,” Kano grinned up at him. “Let everyone know that their favourite cowboy belongs to the Black Dragons.”

“No one sees the marks, Kano,” Erron narrowed his eyes. “And I’m no Black Dragon. We’ve been over this. I killed Kobra, remember?”

Kano’s brown eye narrowed. There was a faint growl before Kano removed his finger from Erron’s backside. His hands settled painfully on Erron’s hips, the nails digging in deep enough to break skin.

“You know, I forget that sometimes,” he growled. “Gotta give you yer punishment or you won’t learn your lesson.”

Before Erron had a chance to remind him that they both had to be able to walk later, Kano’s fat cock was shoved up into him. He hadn’t even felt Kano’s hard-on, but he shouldn’t have been surprised that the other man was hard from playing with Erron. And biting him. Kano was far too into biting to be healthy.

The pace was brutal; Kano might not have had an overly long dick, but his girth made up for it. It stretched him nicely, but the pace made it more pain than pleasure. Erron’s fingers dug into Kano’s shoulders, drawing blood as he struggled to adjust. He squeezed his eyes shut, swearing softly under his breath as his guts were stabbed again and again.

There was a loud knock at the door. Kano’s head snapped around and his one brown eye narrowed.

“Seriously?” he growled. “I swear, if it’s that fucking lizard, I’m turning him into a pair of boots.”

“Don’t see you stopping,” Erron hissed as Kano continued fucking into him.

“Don’t see you tryin’ to move,” Kano shot him a wicked grin. “Think I should tell him it’s unlocked?”

“If it’s D’Vora, she’ll kill us on sight,” Erron said before he attempted to shift.

Kano rolled and pinned him, pressing Erron’s face down into the pillow as he continued his brutal pace. Erron was very happy that the bed did not have springs; the wooden planks beneath the furs did not make anywhere near enough noise to alert anyone outside the door as to what was going on. Kano growled in his ear, strong hands moving possessively over Erron’s shoulders.

“She can wait her bloody turn,” he growled before biting the back of Erron’s neck. “I’m not done with this ass yet.”

“Fucker,” Erron managed to gag out.

Any further attempt to talk was muffled by Kano shoving his fingers into his mouth. Erron gagged a little on the sudden intrusion, but took the offering for what it was. At least Kano didn’t want anyone to know that Erron was getting fucked into his bed. They’d both reek of sex, but at least that was a common enough smell on so many of the Khan’s men; everyone loved their night time visitors.

Kano pulled out before he finished and sprayed his load across Erron’s back. Erron bit down on his fingers in retaliation, shooting daggers over his shoulder at the grin on his bedmate’s face. The fingers dragged hard across his tongue and the skin across Kano’s knuckles split, coating the inside of his mouth in blood.

“Go deal with our unwanted guest, sport,” Kano growled as he rolled off of Erron. “You have to bite that hard?”

“You’re the one that pulled,” Erron snapped as he got to his feet.

He quickly pulled his pants on and headed for the door. He could feel Kano’s semen dripping down his back, but he ignored it. If he didn’t call any attention to it, neither would anyone else. No one wise, anyways; Ferra would probably mention it and then Tor would motion for her to be silent. Neither of them were fond of getting a bullet through their knee.

“What?” he snapped as he opened the door.

He had to look down slightly to meet Reptile’s eyes and he could see the disgust on the lizard’s face. He might not have heard what he and Kano were doing, but the other warrior could definitely smell it. At least Reptile wouldn’t make any comments about what he did in his room.

“The Khan is calling a meeting,” Reptile said, his growling voice grating on Erron’s nerves. “He wants all of his…associates there.”

“That include the Black Dragon?” Erron asked, stroking his bedmate’s ego a little.

“No. The Khan will meet with him later.”

“Good to know. Now get.”

He slammed the door in the lizard’s face and turned around. Kano was attempting to pull one of his boots on, hopping on the spot as he tugged on the leather. Erron took a deep breath and walked over, shoving the slightly larger man backwards onto the bed.

“Didn’t say you were done,” he growled.

“Thought you had a meeting to get to,” Kano grinned.

Erron narrowed his eyes before leaning forward. He pressed a hot kiss to Kano’s mouth and was on his back a moment later.

“Well, if you’re askin’ so nicely.”

* * *

 

Erron walked into the Khan’s audience chamber and took his customary spot against the back wall. Ermac, face wrapped in bandages, floated over to rest beside him. They had a strange sense of comradery between them; neither of them were that fond of the others and, really, they were much happier working by themselves. Only their loyalty to the Khan kept them from walking away and not coming back. Even then, Erron had a feeling that Ermac would leave at the first sign that the Khan was doing something stupid.

“You are late,” Ermac said quietly; the Khan was speaking to his men and it would not do if he heard them speaking to each other instead of listening to him.

“Something came up.”

Ermac stared straight ahead. “Half of my souls want to make a comment about what came up. The other half are appalled that you chose that string of words to describe what you were doing.”

Erron smirked behind his mask and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not wrong.”

Ermac’s lips twitched slightly. It was the closest to a smile their face could manage. It was strangely endearing. He almost wished that Ermac was capable of more emotion, but it would likely be overwhelming for the poor construct.

“You did not miss much; the usual boot-kissing,” Ermac nodded carefully towards the men kneeling at the Khan’s feet. “I don’t trust them.”

“Do you trust anyone?”

“No.”

“There you go.”

Ermac’s fingers tapped against Erron’s shoulder, a show of restraint on his part. He could have easily launched Erron across the room if he had chosen to. It was as close to a playful swat as the coalition of souls could allow themselves to do.

“Erron Black,” Kotal Khan called. “Come forward.”

Erron removed his hat out of respect and walked forward. He could see the men with acute senses of smell curl their lip at his approach. Kotal’s eyes were impassive, uninterested in the hissing that his men released at Erron’s approach. He didn’t care what Erron and Kano did in their spare time so long as it didn’t spill over into their professional work.

“I need you to keep an eye on the procession today,” he said. “There can be no interruptions.”

“Of course, your excellency,” Erron said. “No one will get close to your carriage.”

The Khan nodded and waved a hand in dismissal. Erron returned to the wall and leaned against it. He knew the path that the Khan would take; it was always the same path. The Khan was an unfortunate believer in following traditions to a ‘t’. He didn’t like surprises and he didn’t like change. There was only so much that Erron could plan for.

He almost wished he had a flask so that he could drink to things not going tits up.


	2. Chapter 2

Erron grit his teeth together as Kano waited for the carriage to be prepped. The Khan was already speaking with D’Vora, ignoring everyone else in favour of her voice. If there was a chance to speak with Kano, it was now before the Khan demanded his full attention. Erron sidled up beside Kano, side-eyeing his bedmate.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he growled.

“Oh please; like I’d get you in trouble, Black,” Kano shot him a look. “Relax. We’re just talking business.”

“And you’ve been asking for a ridiculous sum of money,” Erron said.

“Is it ridiculous?” Kano smirked. “He didn’t mind before.”

“It’s ridiculous and you know it,” Erron rubbed between his eyes. “Please don’t do anything stupid, Kano.”

Kano gave him a grin before he started cleaning his fingernails with one of his stupidly large knives. Erron did his best not to growl as he walked away, leaving the kingpin to his own devices. He couldn’t waste anymore breath on the stubborn bastard. If he was lucky, Kano wouldn’t do anything stupid while he was with the Khan. And D’vora. The last thing he needed was to find a new bedmate that treated him as good as Kano did.

That was the only reason he was worried, he told himself. There was no ulterior motive. He just didn’t need a new lover to teach. He wasn’t worried about losing Kano to the Khan’s wrath. He wasn’t worried about a cold bed and mourning someone he lost. Anyone that said otherwise was lying.

The procession moved out ahead of the Khan’s carriage. Kano climbed up into the carriage before it started moving and Erron did his best to focus on the world around him rather than the wooden box behind him. They moved easily through the streets; the citizens of Outworld stayed out of the way, their haunted eyes following the armed soldiers, but none of them daring to move against their emperor. They were a beaten group of people; Erron would have felt bad for them if he thought they were incapable of rising against their emperor.

They could easily overthrow their emperor. His men still relied on swords and spears. A mob of people could overcome the line of soldiers. They would just have to find the courage and suicidal tendencies to do so.

Ermac floated beside him, green eyes hooded against the hot sun. “Your mind is wandering,” they said.

“Hard to keep focused with Kano in the Khan’s carriage.”

“You do not trust your lover?”

“We aren’t lovers.”

Ermac’s green eyes moved towards him. “Very well. But you still worry about him.”

“Of course. He’s a scoundrel.”

“It is not the Khan whose safety you are worried about.”

Erron tensed for a moment. He glanced at Ermac before he growled. The construct gave no sign that they had heard the growl, keeping their eyes ahead of them.

“You keep your opinions to yourself, Ermac,” Erron warned. “I don’t need you spreading rumors.”

“I do not spread rumors. They are beneath me.”

Erron narrowed his eyes. “If you say this isn’t a rumor….”

“I have no desire to undermine you, Erron Black. I do not care who graces your bed. All I worry about is the will of my Khan.”

“And being in a carriage with a man that sells his loyalty to the highest bidder doesn’t unnerve you?”

“No. D’Vora will keep Kano in check.”

Erron kept his ‘I hope so’ to himself. It was bad enough that Ermac was talking about the weird relationship that he and Kano had. He didn’t need to add more fuel to the fire. He almost shook his head to dislodge the thought, but he refrained. Don’t look crazy in front of the very twitchy guards. That was a good way to get impaled.

Shouts rose up ahead of them and Erron turned his attention to the road. There was a blockade of broken carts and boxes across the street. That had not been there the night before when he’d made his rounds.

“Well, that doesn’t look suspicious,” Erron growled as he headed for the mess.

“Agreed,” Ermac grunted as he floated after Erron. “It looks planted.”

Erron checked the mess carefully before he started moving boxes out of the way. Ermac helped, telekinetically hoisting things out of the way. It would be slow going, especially since none of the guards thought it prudent to help them clear the path. He heard the sound of heels clopping towards them and glanced over his shoulder.

“Make way for the Emperor! Move!” D’Vora shouted.

Erron’s eyes rolled so hard he was certain that they were going to pop out of his head. Ermac, who had been moving several boxes at once before, started moving each box one at a time. The corners of the construct’s mouth were turned up slightly and D’Vora seemed to be fuming. It was hard to tell with her since there were long lines that stretched from the corners of her mouth to halfway up her face, but he was sure that she was angry. Served her right for storming over and yelling at them to move the pile of shit faster.

Erron had to make sure his efforts to make everything go slower weren’t as obvious. His limitations were a little harder to fake when he was used to throwing men the size of the Khan around. He didn’t think D’Vora would buy that he was unable to lift a box. He could go slower, sure, but he had to be careful. He hated her, but he didn’t want the bug to attack him.

As he was in the process of setting a box down, he heard a familiar battle cry behind him. He turned and watched as hundreds of Tarkatans came pouring down the alleys towards them. Erron cursed under his breath and pulled his pistols out, aiming at the approaching men that wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

This explained the ramshackle nature of the blockade. Tarkatans were not known for their amazing architectural skills. They were a smash and grab sort of people, content to leave artwork to other races. If the Tarkatans were here, Mileena wasn’t far behind. The Khan was not going to like this.

Erron started firing, taking out the approaching warriors before they reached him. Ermac started flinging warriors around, ducking under an attacking Tarkatan’s arm. If Erron had no discipline, he might have watched Ermac in awe. Just watching the construct throw men around was mesmerizing. It was a type of magic he could never hope to learn and it fascinated him to no end. Throw in Ermac’s grace with his movements and it was a show unlike anything he had seen before.

He was drawn away from the battle when he heard the sound of wood shattering. He glanced over at the carriage and felt his breath catch in his throat. Kano was hanging over the side of the broken window, blood trickling out of his mouth. He saw his one brown eye flutter before the Khan’s hands grabbed him and dragged him back into the carriage.

“No, what did you do?” Erron cursed under his breath.

Kano and the Khan burst out of the carriage a moment later. Kano’s body bounced across the hard-packed dirt. His limbs were loose, splaying around him as his body rolled. That would hurt in the morning, but at least he wasn’t going to have broken bones. The Khan stalked across the ground towards Kano, the feathers on his headdress bouncing with each step.

“Idiot,” Erron growled before he turned and shot another Tarkatan. “What did you do?”

He glanced over as Kano rolled onto his back. He lifted his hand to keep the Khan’s knife from slicing his throat open. Erron wanted nothing more than to walk over and kick Kano’s ass for being this stupid, but first he had to worry about the warriors that wanted to kill him. He spun, reloading his gun as he ducked, and came up firing again.

Something exploded and he looked over his shoulder. “Shit!”

He dove out of the way, feeling his shoulder protest the action as he landed on it wrong. He rolled to his feet, doing his best not to favour his right arm. Kotal Khan and an Edenian were fighting, throwing punches, fire, and water in all directions. As many guards and Tarkatans were dying as flies in a sandstorm between the two titans. It was terrifying in its own right, especially with Mileena circling and looking for her opening.

Erron glanced around, searching for Kano, but saw no sign of him. Part of him was relieved; Kano was like a cockroach; and the other part was annoyed. He’d told him not to do anything stupid and he somehow managed to piss off the emperor of Outworld. Idiot. Massive, fucking idiot.

He headed for the Khan as the Edenian was knocked on his back. He took aim, but before he could fire on the troublemaker, he was hit in the chest with something that ripped the air from his lungs and practically melted his chest. He was flung backwards and he landed on his right arm, injuring it further. It took all of his will not to scream out in pain as he lay stunned on his back.

* * *

 

“Did you know of Kano’s betrayal?”

Erron grit his teeth as one of the royal medics tended to his wounds. “No, your Excellency,” he said. “I didn’t.”

“At no point did he mention his changed loyalties?”

Erron wanted to roll his eyes, but knew better than to do so. The Khan wasn’t calling for his execution only because he liked Erron. It was best not to push the man over the edge and be killed on the spot.

“Whatever Kano was planning, he kept it to himself,” Erron said. “Probably because he knew I’d knock his teeth in if I knew.”

“He took Mileena’s money and attempted to kill me,” Kotal Khan said.

“That doesn’t surprise me; Kano isn’t big on loyalty when there’s a profit to be made.”

It didn’t surprise him, but it sure pissed him off. Kano should have known that his stunt would get Erron in trouble. He shouldn’t have expected any sort of loyalty from him, but it still stung that he was completely disregarded in favour of the clink of gold coins. Kano was a man motivated by money; Erron wasn’t much better, but he at least waited for one contract to end before attempting to fuck over everyone he had just worked with.

“Then I have a new assignment for you,” Kotal Khan said, his blue eyes narrowing. “Find Kano and bring him back here for justice.”

Erron did his best not to flinch. That was an understandable order. Kano had attacked the Khan and then proceeded to run away like a kicked dog. The man had to answer for his crimes.

‘But is it really criminal?’ a small voice at the back of his mind asked. ‘Kotal Khan did overthrow Mileena when she was the rightful heir to the throne.’

‘Yah, but since when did I concern myself with shit like that?’ he demanded of the voice.

‘Since Kano got mixed up in this.’

‘Shut up.’

“I’ll bring him back.”

“If you cannot, do not bother returning,” Kotal Khan said as he got to his feet. “I have no use for a man that cannot do as he is told.” He turned away. “Nor one that cannot keep his whore in check.”

Erron closed his eyes as the Khan walked away. His hand was trembling and he balled it to keep it out of sight. The medic wrapped a bandage around his chest to keep the salve in place. The medic bowed and hurried out of the room, probably to whisper to the other servants about the Khan confirming that Kano was his whore.

Erron ground his teeth together before he got to his feet. The faster he got out of the city, the faster he could find Kano and beat him senseless for this whole, stupid situation.


	3. Chapter 3

Erron settled carefully in the saddle of his sabercat. He was not used to riding on the beasts, but they were faster than a horse and he was several hours behind Kano, who was on a similar beast. He didn’t have time for comfort.

The cat trotted along without slowing down over the rocky terrain.  Erron was not having an easy time tracking, but he had a decent idea of where Kano would be going. It wouldn’t take that long to get there, but it was getting there that would be the problem. Add on the fact that Kano had stolen one of the Khan’s sabercats to make his escape and it was imperative that Erron caught up.

The cat let out a low growl before charging onwards. Erron almost tumbled out of the saddle, reaching up to hold his hat in place as he was pitched backwards. He grabbed the saddle horn and held on, squeezing his eyes shut as the beast carried him down and over a ledge.

“Son of a tick-ridden, cock-lovin’…!” Erron hissed as he held on tight.

“Took you long enough,” Kano’s voice called out. “You can let go of the cat now.”

Erron opened his eyes and stared at the man lounging against one of the stone spires that reached out of the barren landscape. His sabercat was resting beside him, grooming its massive paws with a bloody muzzle. He had never, in his life, seen a mark so brazenly waiting for him. Erron slipped from the saddle and pulled his gun out.

“You stupid, motherfucking idiot!” he snarled as he stormed forward. “I told you not to do anything stupid and what do you do the minute my back is turned?”

“Relax,” Kano smirked as he rubbed his thumb against his jaw. “I had it under control.”

Erron fired his gun and blasted a chunk off of the wall beside Kano’s head. The other man stepped away from the spire, looking at the sizeable hole in surprise. His one good eye looked at Erron as he pursed his lips.

“You really that upset that I tried to take out the Khan?” he asked.

“You put me in danger with that stunt!” Erron snarled as he stormed over. “Everything I worked for is in danger because of what you did!”

He threw a punch at Kano’s face. He didn’t expect the punch to land and Kano didn’t disappoint when he caught his fist in his larger hand. His one good eye narrowed before he snorted and let out a small laugh.

“Wow, is that all?” he asked. “That’s why you came out here after me, Black?”

“I have orders to bring you in so that you will face the Khan’s justice,” Erron growled. Kano released his hand and it fell to the gun on his hip. “After what you did, you’ll be executed.”

“And the Khan thought that I would come along nicely because…?” Kano lifted an eyebrow.

Erron gave him a flat look. “Because I would shoot you otherwise,” he growled.

Kano’s face showed a momentary glimmer of amusement before it twisted. “No, no that’s not it,” he snarled before slamming a fist against the spire beside him. “He thought because I fuck you on the daily that I would come along quietly. Like a good little whore, right?”

“You’re the one that started that rumor; don’t like the fall out now that the Khan thinks you’re scum?” Erron sneered.

Kano shoved a finger in Erron’s face. “I told that ‘rumor’ to keep you from getting torn apart by those fuckers in the palace,” he growled. “No one would believe that a couple of men like us would willingly go with each other.”

“So you sacrificed your dignity for me,” Erron sneered. “I don’t buy that any more than….”

He sneer turned into a soft gasp as Kano kissed him. It was gentler than he was used to, catching him off guard just enough for Kano to spin him around and press him against the spire. His bigger body pressed in close, pushing Erron against the unyielding rock. He bared his teeth for a moment before he tipped his jaw back.

“I wanted into those pants again,” Kano growled as his teeth nipped down Erron’s neck. “Figured if I played nice, told them that you paid me to fuck you, you wouldn’t be as scared to come find me again.”

“It worked,” Erron confessed. “But this is business, Kano. My position is in question because of what you did.”

“They really think that because I put my dick in yer ass that I would spill all my plans?” Kano snorted before his palm ground against Erron’s groin. “They’re stupid.”

“It’s what…what courtesans do. Get information out of someone by fucking them.”

“Yah, because those scheming bastards are idiots,” Kano snorted. “I’m too old to do something that stupid.”

“That’s up for debate,” Erron growled before he flipped his gun up and shoved it under Kano’s jaw. “Now get on your cat.”

Kano let out a soft chuckle as the muzzle of the pistol dug into the soft part of his throat. His one good eye rolled towards him as a quirk of affection graced his lips. He moved his head back, stepping away from Erron.

“You really going to shoot me?” he asked.

Erron reached down to pull his mask back on, never breaking eye contact with Kano. Where the eye laser should have been was a sunken hole where the eyelids had been stitched together. Too many times Erron had traced the injury, wishing he had been there to watch Kano’s back when the SF forces had caused him to lose it. His hand trembled for a moment before he fired over Kano’s shoulder.

It was supposed to distract him, but Kano wasn’t fooled.  Erron’s attempt at a tackle was met halfway and he was pushed back against the spire. He grunted at the impact, feeling his injured shoulder send knives of pain up into his neck. He struggled to hold his hiss of pain in, glaring up at Kano as his hands dug into the chest plate he was wearing.

“You missed,” Kano smirked.

Erron pushed his gun into Kano’s stomach. “Won’t this time,” he warned.

“You’re cute when you’re trying to be scary, Erron,” Kano smirked. “But I know you won’t.”

“And how do you know that?”

“You’ve never hesitated to shoot someone before.”

“I want you to come willingly.”

“Back to my execution? Come on, mate; I know you aren’t that stupid.”

“Either you go or I’m dead,” Erron snapped.

“So, either you or me?” Kano smirked. “Not very imaginative, are we, sport?”

“Those are my only options, asshole.”

“No. There’s a third,” Kano said before he leaned in close. “Be my newest dragon.”

“I don’t leave a contract for more money, Kano,” Erron snapped immediately.

“Then I guess you have to shoot me,” Kano smirked and pulled away. “I’m heading back to Earthrealm. I’m done with this shithole.”

Erron watched as Kano walked over to the sabercat. The beast lifted its head as Kano approached, huffing softly in greeting. Kano scratched behind the beast’s ears, completely ignoring Erron as he pointed his gun at Kano’s back. His finger rested on the trigger, but he couldn’t squeeze. Erron chewed on the inside of his cheek before he spun the gun and put it back in its holster.

He walked up to Kano, whistled to get his attention, and punched him across the face. “Don’t you ever make me choose between you and a contract ever again,” he snarled as Kano slumped against the sabercat.

Kano gave his head a shake before he grinned. “Sure thing, sweet cheeks,” he said before pulling himself up into the saddle. “Don’t fall off of yours.”

Erron flipped him off before stalking over to his patiently waiting sabercat. He pulled himself into the saddle and almost immediately fell off as the beast hurried after Kano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that the Khan rides a horse. I had this ready to go before I saw the Mortal Kombat 11 cinematics. Sabercats would have been way cooler.


	4. Chapter 4

Erron did his best not to flinch as a car drove by. He did not like being in Earthrealm, but Kano was determined not to stay in Outworld anymore. He was still convinced that he could prove to Erron that being a Black Dragon was the best outcome for him, but Erron had his reservations. He could not stand anyone else in the organization and the last thing he could deal with was being one of those numbers. He was a bounty hunter, not a merc. He had standards that Kano was ready to cast aside at the drop of a hat.

“So, where are we going?” Erron asked as another car sent a spray of water over them. “Fucking asshole.”

“Looking for a place to put our boots up,” Kano said as he pulled the hood of his jacket down further on his head to keep the sprayed water from dripping on his face. “Not too much further.”

Erron frowned as they stepped away from the sidewalk and over to a fairly nice looking house. He lifted an eyebrow at Kano as he lifted his hand and knocked on the door. He heard shuffling inside before the door to the house opened.

Erron had a moment to stare at the young man standing in the doorway without a shirt on before Kano moved forward and forced his way into the house. Erron followed, staring at the young man as he started stuttering and making desperate hand motions at Kano.

“You can’t be here!”

“Yah, yah,” Kano snorted. “Erron, close the door.”

Erron closed the door behind him. “Are you going to introduce me?” he asked.

“Erron, Junior. Junior, Erron.”

Erron looked at Junior and decided right away that the man got very little of his genetics from his father. Not only was he a short and stocky man, but his face showed more of an Italian heritage than the mixed Chinese-Australian that Kano had. Only his brown eyes were the same as Kano’s and even they were softer than Kano’s hard brown ones.

“Didn’t know you were married,” Erron said.

“I’m not,” Kano snorted. “His mum was a one-night stand. Didn’t know he existed until he showed up wanting to be just like his Daddy.”

Erron looked at the terrified young man. “Why do I get the feeling that someone’s mother fed him lies?”

“She failed to mention that he was a criminal,” Junior shuddered.

“I wasn’t very high up the ladder at the time she knew me,” Kano smirked. “But I’m the big man now and you wanted an easy inheritance. If only it were that easy, right?”

Erron stepped between the men before Junior did something stupid. “We just need a place to rest a few days,” he said. “I’m sure Kano will want to be somewhere less conspicuous.”

Kano smirked. “Aw, you’re worried about him; don’t worry, Junior’s a piece of shit, just like his Pa. You’ll see soon enough, Black.”

Junior looked ready to pop. Erron turned and pushed on Kano’s back, pushing him down the hallway.

“Go take a shower,” he grumbled before he pulled his hat off and carded his fingers through his hair. “And don’t use up the hot water.”

“Could shower with me,” Kano smirked.

Junior let out a gag behind him and Erron shook his head. “Let’s not terrify your son, Kano.”

“May as well get used to it; there’s springs in these beds,” Kano smirked.

Erron rolled his eyes as Kano vanished down the hallway to wherever the bathroom was. He turned to look at Junior and almost laughed at the disgusted look on his face.

“You’re fucking my father?” he asked.

“Doesn’t mean anything to you,” Erron said as he removed his serape and hung it on a peg by the door, putting his hat on over it. “You won’t know we’re here.”

“You don’t know my father very well if you think that,” Junior curled his lip. “But thanks for not being a massive dick.”

Erron snorted as he carefully pulled his boots off. He flexed his toes before rubbing at his kohl lined eyes. He was exhausted after walking all day through this nightmare of a city. He didn’t know why Kano didn’t teleport them in somewhere closer to his kid’s house, but he guess he wanted to lose whatever trail might have been following them.

“Guest bedroom’s upstairs,” Junior said. “Third door on your right. Don’t think I have any change of clothing for you.”

“It’s fine; they’ll be good to go after a wash,” Erron said before he headed up the stairs.

He could hear the shower turning on as he reached the second floor. He was too exhausted to think about Kano naked in the shower for longer than a moment and walked down to the bedroom that Junior had told him about.

The room was painted a muted yellow and the queen-sized bed looked very soft. Erron stripped out of his clothing quickly and climbed under the blue covers. His final thought before dropping off was that ‘Junior’ was likely not Kano’s kid’s name.

He woke to fingers carding through his hair. He groaned as he woke up, lifting his head off of the pillow to blink blearily at Kano. He had trimmed his beard a little, taming the unruly bristles just enough to not stick out in all directions when it was knotted. Erron stretched under the covers, spreading his toes wide before he pushed himself into a sitting position.

“You leave any hot water?” he asked.

“Should be refilled since I let you sleep fer three hours,” Kano smirked. “Been a while since I’ve seen you relaxed enough to lie on your stomach.”

Erron grunted as he got to his feet. Kano’s hand slapped his backside, sending a spike of pleasure straight to his dick. Erron hissed at the impact, glaring over his shoulder as he pulled on his pants.

“Must you?” he asked.

“You put a target like that out in the open and it’s hard to resist,” Kano grinned. “Go get yourself all prettied up; Junior’s making supper.”

“Anything good?” Erron yawned.

“Steak and potatoes.”

“Good, then,” Erron smirked before he headed downstairs.

He headed for the bathroom, locking the door behind him as he stepped in. He stripped out of his pants and stepped into the shower stall. It took him a minute to figure out how the dials worked, but he got it all working after a bit of tinkering. The spray of hot water across his back was amazing and he groaned as he stepped directly under the spray.

He tipped his head back, spewing water out of his mouth as he let the heat wash over him. Dirt, grime, and dust washed off of him in a brown wave, spinning down the drain between his feet. He rubbed his fingers through his hair, making sure it was sufficiently wet, before he leaned forward to check for shampoo.

He grabbed the first one he saw, popping the lid to check the scent. It wasn’t the most pleasant smell in the world, but it smelt clean, at least. He poured a portion into his hand before he started lathering up his hair. His nails dug into his scalp, scrapping at the dirt accumulation, and making sure that his hair would come away clean. Once he had a good lather going, he grabbed a cloth off the tray beside him and scrubbed at his face

It took him twenty minutes to scrub himself clean. He hoped that Junior had good plumbing, otherwise it was going to get clogged with all the dirt that had come off of him. He turned the water off and stepped out of the stall, reaching for a towel. He patted himself dry and pulled his pants back on.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, he smelt something delicious. He followed his nose to the kitchen where a plate piled with meat and potatoes was waiting for him. He licked his lips eagerly as he sat down, pulling the plate towards him. He glanced around, but Kano and his son were nowhere to be found. Either they were off bonding in whatever way that Kano showed affection or they had already eaten and gone to pass out.

The steak tasted amazing, but it was a little too brown for his taste. He much preferred an incredibly rare steak, but he was never one to complain about a meal. He shoveled potatoes into his mouth like the plate was going to be ripped out from under him. He was making a mess of himself, but he didn’t care.

“Geeze, where did you learn table manners?” Kano called.

Erron looked up and narrowed his eyes. “That’s not a toy, Kano,” he growled as he spotted his gun in Kano’s massive hand.

“Oh, I’m well aware; thought maybe there was a little magic in these,” Kano gave the gun a small wiggle. “Turns out, they’re just really old and really well cared for.”

“Yes. So put it down.”

Kano chuckled as he walked over and sat down across from him. “You got potatoes all over your mush.”

Erron huffed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Kano continued watching him, his one good eye intense. Erron finished off his dinner, licking his lips clean of any leftover gravy.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Trying to decide where to put the mark on you,” Kano smirked. “Think it would look nice on your neck.”

“I never said I was going to join the Black Dragons,” Erron snorted as he leaned back in his chair.

“You followed me to Earthrealm, running the risk of ruining whatever magic is keeping you young, and you aren’t going to take me up on my offer?” Kano smirked. “So I should just dump your ass on the sidewalk?”

“I’ll work with you, Kano, but I won’t be a Dragon. I can’t stand any of you assholes.”

“Now that’s just rude,” Kano chuckled.

“Present company excluded,” Erron rolled his eyes. “Put me on the payroll as a consultant, but I am not putting that dragon on my body.”

Kano grinned. “I’ll change your mind, just you watch,” he said before leaning forward. “You still have potato on your face.”

“Where?”

Kano kissed him and Erron rolled his eyes. Wow, now that was cheesy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kano probably has fifty different ways to get in and out of Outworld. Man is a damn cockroach that way.
> 
> Kano's son's name isn't Junior, but it is very plain. And before anyone says anything about what I made Kano's heritage, I remember reading somewhere that Kano was only made an Aussie after the first movie came out. He was supposed to be Chinese, originally, I believe. So, mixed heritage, let's go.


	5. Chapter 5

“Say it,” Kano smirked at his son.

Junior glared at him. “Say what?”

Kano shifted and gave Chris’ shoulder a shove. “I see the way you’re looking at Erron,” he said. “Wish the cowboy would give you a ride?”

Chris gave him a horrified look. “What? No! Ew!”

“Ew because you’d be getting your daddy’s seconds? Or ew because I suggested it?”

“I’m not interested in your cowboy floozy!”

Kano cackled. “Floozy? Ooh, you have it bad, sport,” he said before he reached out to pinch Chris’ cheek. “Better watch that tongue though; Erron’ll cut it out.”

“That’s something you would do,” Chris glared at him. “And I’m not gay.”

“Neither am I,” Kano smirked. “I am, however, incredibly bi.”

“It’s not hereditary,” Chris growled.

“That is yet to be proven,” Kano shrugged before he heard Erron coming down the stairs. “Up at last, Sleeping Beauty?”

Erron flipped him off as he headed straight for the coffee machine. He poured himself a mug of coffee and drank it black. Kano lifted an eyebrow and chuckled.

“You know we have sugar and milk to take the bite out of that,” he said.

“The stronger the stuff, the better,” Erron growled. “I haven’t had a migraine like this in decades.”

Kano shook his head. “I’m sure Junior has Advil for that.”

Erron opened an eye and glanced at him. “The fuck is that?”

“Headache medication,” Kano said. “Also a pain reliever. Works wonders when you’re waiting for wounds to heal up.”

“I’ll have some of that then,” Erron closed his eye again and returned to his coffee.

Kano looked pointedly at his son and Chris hurried off to collect the Advil. He returned with the capsule in hand, holding it out to Erron to take. Erron took the pill and squinted at it.

“Do not bite it,” Chris said. “It’ll be a mess if you do. Just….”

“I know how to take pills, kid,” Erron snorted before he popped the pill into his mouth and washed it down with a swig of coffee. “I’m old, but there were pills in the West.”

“Kano keeps talking like you came out of the hills,” Chris shrugged. “Just making sure….”

“I’m sure,” Erron growled before he turned to lean his back against the counter. “Breakfast?”

Kano stretched and yawned before he retrieved eggs and ham from the fridge. He ignored his son’s protests as he whipped up breakfast for the other man, whistling as he worked. He set everything on a plate when it was ready and passed it over to Erron.

Erron poked the yolks of his eggs with a fork before mopping it up with a piece of bread. He ate his breakfast like he’d eaten every other meal Kano had ever seen him eat; fast, messily, and with an expression of determination on his features. Kano felt a small pang of pity for the man; what sort of life did Erron live that he ate his food like it was going to be ripped away from him at any moment?

Erron wiped grease off of his chin and carried his plate over to the sink. He washed his dishes without a word, setting everything in the drip tray to dry. When he was done wiping his hands, he turned towards Kano with a familiar intense expression.

“So, what’s on the agenda?” he asked.

“Need to get in contact with some of my boys, figure out where they’re hiding,” Kano said. “Black Dragon’s underground for the most part at the moment. Military’s on our case more often since Sonya was promoted to General.”

“Fun,” Erron grunted before he brushed past Kano. “Let me know if we’re going to be leaving the house.”

“Need to put proper pants on?” Kano teased. “You look good in polka dots.”

Erron flipped him off again before heading upstairs. Kano chuckled and grinned at his son. “You sure you don’t want that?” he asked as he motioned towards Erron’s ass as it mounted the stairs. “Looks pretty tasty.”

“I can still hear you, Kano,” Erron shouted over his shoulder. “You’re a pig.”

Kano laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He waited for Erron to leave before pushing himself away from the counter. He glanced at his son and snorted.

“Get.”

Chris scuttled off as quickly as he could, leaving Kano alone in the kitchen. He brought up his communicator and started looking for any signal that was still online. With any luck, at least one of his men was still alive and ready to start raising Hell.

* * *

 

Erron did his best not to growl as Kano sauntered into the room. His headache had abated, but now his muscles were acting like he had just gotten steamrolled by Tor. Everything hurt.

“Could you look less happy?” he demanded.

“That migraine still causing you trouble?” Kano lifted an eyebrow. “It’s been a few hours. I can get you another Advil.”

“Migraine’s gone. Everything else hurts now.”

“Odd.”

“Happens every time I return to Earthrealm,” Erron shrugged a shoulder. “Can’t seem to acclimatize as fast.”

“That sucks,” Kano said as he sat down on the bed beside him. “Need anything?”

Erron turned his head to look at Kano. “What’re offering me that for?” he asked. “Aren’t you a hardass?”

“You’ve proven time and again that you’re competent,” Kano smirked. “I would hate to lose you so soon.”

Erron snorted and leaned back in the bed. “Just need to rest.”

“Then scoot over and make room,” Kano snorted before he rose and stripped out of his pants.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting a hold of your men?” Erron asked as he shuffled over to the other side of the bed.

“I did. None are on this continent at the moment. So, the rest of my day is free.”

Kano stretched out on the bed in his underwear. He groaned and scratched at his chest, glancing over at Erron expectantly. Erron pushed himself down into the bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin. He was not sharing.

Kano smirked and wiggled his way under the blankets, reaching out to pinch Erron’s cheek. “Cute.”

Erron swatted at the hand before rolling onto his side. He shivered as Kano pressed in against his back and tucked his face into the curve of Erron’s neck. His big arms wrapped around his hips, but he didn’t do anything untoward. Erron let out a small sigh.

“Don’t recall agreeing to this,” he said.

“Perks of the job,” Kano huffed against his ear. “Give the word and I’ll start grinding.”

“Not in the mood.”

“Then I am content to sit here and wait.”

Erron rolled his eyes and pressed his cheek down into the pillow. He grumbled about Kano being a dick, but it felt nice to have something warm and solid pressed against his back. He shifted, reaching down to lace his fingers with Kano’s. He half expected the other man to pull away, insult him, and flee.

Instead, Kano spread his fingers so that their equally thick fingers fit easier together. Erron glanced down at their fingers and a strange warmth spread through his belly. It wasn’t arousal; he knew that feeling intimately. This was something else; something softer that he didn’t dare put a name to.

“We’ll go into town tomorrow and get us some clothing,” Kano murmured. “As much as I would love to see you walking around in Junior’s clothing, it’s too tight on ya and I’m not going to allow you to walk around improperly clothed.”

“Says the man that ran around Outworld without a shirt on,” Erron smirked.

“It’s hotter than balls out there,” Kano scoffed.

“Aren’t you from Australia?”

“Different type of heat. Can’t handle that much heat with a shirt on.”

Erron shook his head in amusement. He settled onto the pillow and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Domestic Kano is super unnerving because you know the man just murdered someone in his basement, but he made you breakfast so you'd better eat it.


	6. Chapter 6

“He…he took you shopping?”

Erron lifted an eyebrow. “Yes.”

“All you need is a little bell collar and you’d be the perfect little bitch.”

Erron rolled his eyes before he finished making himself his sandwich. “You always spout shit at people that could pummel you?” he asked.

“I could kick you out of my house right now, you fucking….”

“And how would you do that?” Erron asked as he took a bite out of his snack. “You’re afraid of Kano. He so much as looks at you and you’re ready to piss yourself.”

Junior grimaced and looked away. He had no response, so Erron continued eating. He didn’t care what the kid called him; his opinion was moot. He knew that he was terrified of Kano; anyone worth their spit was afraid of Kano. Erron even had a decent amount of respect and apprehension about the man. The fact that he was being so nice; as nice as Kano could be; was not something he was used to and it was worth taking note of.

Junior grumbled something under his breath and stomped off. He slammed the door to the house shut and Erron heard the door to the bathroom open a few seconds later. Kano walked into the kitchen ruffling his hair with a towel.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“Junior seems to think that I’m your bitch,” Erron said as he sucked mustard off of his thumb. “Failed to teach your boy manners, Kano.”

“That wasn’t my job,” Kano snorted. “Didn’t know the shithead existed until a few years ago.”

“Ooh, deadbeat?” Erron smirked.

“Don’t start,” Kano wagged a finger at him as he dropped the towel to his shoulders. “I used to date his mother when I was young. We split. She left Queensland. Life went on.”

“And then Junior showed up?”

“Yah. Showed up expecting something from me,” Kano scoffed. “Kid had it made, but decided to spit in his daddy’s face because he didn’t pop out of his nuts.”

Erron let out a snort and slapped his hand over his mouth. He struggled to hold his laughter in, not wanting to give Kano the satisfaction of watching him break down. He glanced at his feet and snorted softly as Kano walked over and bumped his shoulder against Erron’s.

“So I put the little shit to work; he’s useless, but he likes to throw his weight around,” Kano said. “Probably off to beat up some poor sucker now that you told him off.” Kano purred in his ear before his teeth nipped across Erron’s jaw. “Which is hot, by the by.”

Erron chuckled and pushed Kano’s face away. “Still too sore for anything.”

“Really? You always wanted to fuck me after you got your ass kicked in training,” Kano smirked.

“Different kind of sore,” Erron shrugged a shoulder. “And you really seem determined to get in my pants.”

Kano smirked before attempting to crowd him against the counter. Erron stepped away from him, setting his hands on his hips. Kano pouted for a moment before he shrugged.

“Fine; guess I’ll just entertain myself then.”

“You aren’t worried about where your spawn went?”

“Not really.”

“I am; if he has gone to beat the shit out of someone, I don’t want them to be an innocent bystander that looked at him the wrong way.”

“You care about some rando on the street?”

“I don’t think you want the police coming to the house looking for someone in connection to serial assaults.”

Kano frowned and waved a hand. “Have fun.”

Erron grabbed his hat off of the coatrack as he passed it. He stepped out into the late afternoon rain, pulling his hat down over his eyes. The rain had been harder earlier; this was a light drizzle in comparison and he was soaked within a few minutes of walking. He walked slowly, letting the people walk around him as he joined into the main crowd. No one gave him a second look; every other man had a Stetson on, so he wasn’t anything special.

He found a few whispers that led him to a few petty turf fights. He left as quickly as he found them, not wanting to get involved in something like that. He circled the block and heard the sound of an argument coming from one of the side alleys. He slipped silently down the alley, narrowing his eyes as he caught the sound of Junior’s voice.

“You owed that money last month,” Junior snarled. “So I won’t ask you again. Where is it?”

There was the sound of flesh on flesh and Erron stepped around a corner. Junior had a scraggly looking man by the front of his shirt, holding him up as blood poured down from his broken nose. Junior’s knuckles were busted, but he didn’t seem to notice that yet. Or, if he did, he was using it as further incentive to get the scraggly brat to talk.

“Don’t…have,” Broken Nose said.

“I don’t want your excuses, punk,” Junior punched him again.

“Let him go,” Erron said as he stepped forward.

Junior snapped his head around and stared at him. “Excuse me?” he demanded.

“Let the kid go,” Erron repeated as he walked over and set a hand over Junior’s bloody one. “Now.”

“You think yer - !” Junior started to say before Erron cuffed him over the head.

“You’re going after a pup that doesn’t know sweet shit about the organization he’s working for,” Erron snapped. “Let him go.”

Junior glared at him before releasing the kid. Broken Nose sank to the ground in a heap, blubbering and coughing thick, mucousy globs of blood onto the broken asphalt. Erron knelt down and patted Broken Nose’s shoulder.

“You’ll get through it. Just a broken nose and bruised ego,” he said. “Who you work for?” Broken Nose coughed out some local gang name and Erron snorted. “You know someone that deals with your money?” The kid nodded. “Go get them. Tell them that the Black Dragon wants to have a word.”

He helped the kid to their feet and patted his back as he stumbled off. Junior waited until the kid was out of sight before rounding on him.

“I don’t need your help getting money,” he snapped.

“You were going after a pup when the guard dog’s chained up just over the fence,” Erron growled. “You got a brain in that skull of yours, kid, or did easy living make it dribble out your ear?”

“I wasn’t-!”

“Save it. You might be a bruiser, but put that strength to people that will actually give you what you want.” He fell silent, listening to footsteps hurrying towards them. “Here they come.”

Erron turned to watch the two skinheads come around the corner. Both of them were the big and stupid variety, clearly the forward guard for whoever was coming. Erron set a hand on his revolver, waiting for the men to approach. A slim figure came around the corner, blue eyes narrowed as she walked toward them. Erron did his best not to roll his eyes as the two massive skinheads took up positions on either side of her.

“One of our boys just came back with a broken nose and whimpering that the Black Dragon wanted money,” the woman said. “You enjoy beating up kids, scumbag?”

“He does,” Erron said. “I would much rather deal with the people in charge. You handle finances, ma’am?”

The woman spat at his feet. “Tell whatever scumbag thinks they have any control over my boys to eat a dick. The Black Dragon has no teeth.”

Erron looked at the woman calmly before he pulled his gun out. “Alright,” he said and shot both goons that were standing behind the woman. “Neither do you.”

The woman stared at the crumpled forms of the men that had been her bodyguards. She lifted her gaze to Erron, her face drained of all colour. Erron tilted his head to the side as he put his gun back in the holster.

“Now, you run along and get the money you owe the Black Dragons. I would hate to have to repeat this encounter with a woman of such fine taste.”

The woman fled. Erron waited until her footsteps had faded away before he turned and grabbed Junior by the scruff of his shirt.

“March,” he growled.

“Ow, ow!”

Erron dragged the man behind him until they reached his house. He shoved Junior through the front door and slammed it closed behind him.

“Kano! Your spawn is useless!” he shouted.

“Could have told you that, Erron,” Kano called before he poked his head around the door to the kitchen. “What he do?”

“Beating up a kid for money,” Erron scoffed. “A runner, if nothing else.”

Kano let out a long sigh as he stepped out of the kitchen, cleaning his hands on a towel. “Really? You went after a kid? You know they don’t know fuck all.”

“Intimidation tactic; it’s your favourite.”

“Intimidate the right people, Chris,” Kano sighed. “A kid isn’t going to get shit done.”

“You’ve threatened the Cage kid.”

“Ah, difference there, kiddo,” Kano grinned. “Little Miss Cassie’s mommy is an old and dear friend. I know that things will happen the way I want them to if I threaten her life.”

“Yes, like getting your balls knocked back into you?” Erron sighed before he pushed past both idiots to go see what was in the kitchen.

“They still work, thanks fer askin’,” Kano snorted.

“You deserved it.”

Erron ignored the unhappy growl from Kano as he lifted the lid on a pot boiling on the stove. The contents was some sort of vegetable, but he’d never seen it before. He figured it was good if Kano was making it, though. For as testy as the man was at times, he was an amazing cook. It was probably his only saving grace.

That and his girthy cock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erron isn't a good guy, but he isn't a dick either. Besides, he knows that going after the kids isn't going to do sweet shit except piss off the adults. Junior needs a firmer hand than Kano's because his father just thinks its hilarious that his son's a dumbass.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: feels ahead. Also dumb adults being dumb.

Erron grunted as his back hit the bed. He shook his head, a little dazed from the impact. Kano smirked down at him, cocking his head to the side.

“Too hard?” he asked.

“Must have left something on the bed,” Erron grunted as he reached under him. He tossed the knife off the bed. “Yup.”

“Careful with that; I don’t want to have to rebalance the damn thing,” Kano chuckled before he crawled over Erron and kissed him. “Mmm, you ready for this, Black?”

Erron rolled his eyes before he shifted to get his legs out from under Kano. He wrapped them around Kano’s hips, squeezing tightly to push the man towards him. Kano groaned at the feeling and slowly worked his fingers into the blankets by Erron’s head. A low rumble moved through his throat before he started kissing down Erron’s neck. His teeth nipped and scrapped at his flesh, drawing soft groans from between Erron’s lips.

His fingers ran up Kano’s neck and he dug them into Kano’s hair. Kano growled as Erron tugged his head backwards, one good eye narrowing. Kano’s fingers dug into Erron’s hips, putting enough pressure to almost break the skin.

“Gettin’ handsy, are we?” he asked.

“Only for you, Kano,” Erron growled. “You know how to make me feel good.”

“I do try to please such a willing partner,” Kano smirked before he leaned forward and bit Erron’s ear.

“That’s a first,” Erron smirked. “You’re lucky I’m too old to bother training a new partner.”

“Oh? Like Junior, do we?”

“Ugh, hardly,” Erron grimaced. “Don’t mention him again or I might just lose the mood.”

Kano smirked. “Good to know; I don’t want to talk about him either.”

Kano bit his ear again before whispering the magic words against his jaw. Erron shivered and arched his hips, feeling the magic seep through his insides to lube him up. He groaned loudly as he felt it trickle out of him, pattering against the covers between them. Kano growled and reached down to push a finger into him, curling his finger slowly to pull gasps from between Erron’s lips.

Erron shifted and moaned as he felt the head of Kano’s cock press against his entrance. He rolled his hips, closing his eyes as Kano slowly started pushing deeper into him. Kano moved slowly, using his finger to draw groans from Erron’s lips.

“Feels good,” Erron murmured. “So good.”

“Like it when you start mumbling, sweetheart,” Kano smirked at him. “Sounds good with that darling accent of yours.”

Erron dug his fingers into Kano’s scalp and dragged him up. He kissed him hungrily, shifting to pull Kano closer to him. He bit at Kano’s lips, demanding entrance, and grinned as Kano complied. He did his best to flex around Kano’s cock, wanting to make the slightly larger man moan. Kano grinned and pulled on Erron’s bottom lip with his teeth.

“Oh, gorgeous, you’re trying so hard,” he said. “I appreciate it, really.”

Erron pouted playfully before kissing Kano again. “Need to work on it more,” he said. “Want to make you a writhing mess without you even moving.”

“How kind,” Kano smirked before he started snapping his hips forward. “But I do love to watch you moan as I fuck yer arse.”

Erron felt his eyes roll back as Kano’s fat cock stretched him wonderfully wide. He bit his lip, whimpering as his insides started to protest the brutal pace Kano was setting. Kano’s arms wrapped tightly around Erron’s shoulders and chest, pulling him towards the edge of the bed so that he could continue his pace.

Sweat started rolling down Kano’s face. He grit his teeth, panting heavily as his hips continued slamming into Erron’s. Erron’s nails dug into Kano’s arms, marring the edge of the black dragon tattoo. Kano’s teeth nipped at his jaw before he pulled away.

“Hang on, cowboy,” Kano grinned before he grabbed Erron’s hips. “Ride’s about to get rough.”

“It’s not already?” Erron panted.

He screamed in surprised pleasure as Kano, somehow, managed to go even faster. Erron’s back arched off the mattress, pushing himself down onto the rapidly moving cock. Heat was pooling in his belly, a warning that he would not be able to hold himself together for much longer. His cock was hard against his stomach, bounced with each thrust of Kano’s hips.

“Close,” he managed to grit out. “So close.”

Kano growled, apparently forgetting how words work. He bowed his head forward and tried to go faster, but Erron could hear him wheezing. Man was going to make his heart explode if he kept this up. He reached up to cup Kano’s cheek, planning on teasing him about being old.

His body chose that exact moment to orgasm. He lost track of the world around him, drowning in ecstasy. When he managed to pull his brain together, he realized that he was whispering the same thing over and over again. Kano was collapsed on top of him, trembling as he rode his own aftershocks, so Erron couldn’t see his face, but his body was tense.

“Love you,” Erron was whispering. “Love you so much.”

He forced himself to be quiet, swallowing loudly as Kano breathed against his cheek. They didn’t say a word as they slowly pulled away from each other. Erron rolled onto his side, his back facing Kano. A large, warm hand rested on his shoulder, squeezing for a moment, before Kano got to his feet.

Erron waited for Kano to leave the room before he covered his face in shame.

* * *

 

Kano leaned against the back wall of the house, blowing a stream of smoke towards the cloudy sky. Erron’s post-coital confession was still running through his head, tumbling from one synapse to the next.

“Love you. Love you so much.”

It was a punch to the gut, one that left him feeling giddy and stupid. Erron loved him. Erron Black, a man after his own heart, who walked with his head high and with no fear of Kano’s tendencies, loved him.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to cover Erron’s face in kisses, repeating the declarations of love back to the other man. He wanted Erron to know that he wasn’t scaring him off because he had blurted out those feared words. He wanted Erron to know that he was committed, that he would give Erron the world on a silver platter if he could. He would slit the throats of every asshole that got in their way if that was what Erron needed.

Unfortunately, he was positive that it would send Erron running. Erron had cut himself off mid-stammer and had rolled away from him as fast as he could. He was probably terrified that Kano would react poorly. They were in a horrible place and he probably should have stuck around, but he needed a smoke to calm his nerves.

“Do you and your whore have to be that loud?” Chris huffed as he stepped outside and stuffed a cigarette between his lips.

“Silencing that voice would be a crime,” Kano said. “You rub one out listening to Erron scream for me?”

“No. I don’t want to think about my dad fucking another man. It’s…gross.”

Kano chuckled as he took another puff of his cigarette. Why did it not surprise him that he was bonding with his unknown son over a cigarette and the fact that he was fucking a screamer? He supposed that there were worse things that he could be bonding over.

“Why are you out here instead of spooning the cowboy?” Chris asked.

“Needed some time to think,” Kano said as he puffed on his cigarette. “Little late for you, isn’t it?”

“Hard to sleep when you are rocking that bed that hard,” Chris pouted. “I still don’t like having you here.”

“Won’t be here for much longer,” Kano shrugged. “Other captains should be coming in soon and I can figure out where we’re standing.”

Chris snorted as he blew a stream of smoke out his nose. “Good.”

“Brat,” Kano snorted as he snuffed his cigarette butt out. “I’ll deal with you later.”

He ruffled his son’s hair roughly before heading back inside. He walked slowly up the stairs, trying to think of a way to talk with Erron. He pushed the door to their room open, half-expecting to catch Erron in the middle of getting dressed. Instead, Erron was curled up under the blankets, his head hidden from sight. Kano ran his tongue over his lips for a moment before stripping out of his pants.

He crawled onto the bed and shifted under the blankets. He could feel Erron trembling; he wasn’t sure if that was nerves or if his lover was crying. He really hoped it wasn’t the latter because he had no idea how to help him through that. He shifted closer, giving Erron time to move if he didn’t want him there. Slowly, he pressed himself up against Erron’s back, wrapped his arms around his lover’s hips, and rested his head against Erron’s neck.

“Love you too,” he whispered against Erron’s ear.

Just like that, all the tension melted out of Erron’s body. He heard a breathless laugh leave his lover before he attempted to roll over in his arms. Kano pulled back enough to avoid getting smacked by a turning elbow and smiled down into Erron’s sweet brown eyes. Tears were gathered on Erron’s lashes, but that looked like it was as far as they got.

Kano kissed Erron’s eyelashes, snuggling in close. “Don’t think this means that I’ll treat you any different,” he teased.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, you asshole.”  


	8. Chapter 8

Erron watched the Black Dragons stalk into the room. They were grumbling amongst themselves, eyeing Kano as they took their seats. He had no idea how Kano managed to find a room big enough for them all, but he supposed that was just what Kano was good at. He glanced over at his lover; just thinking that word still made him feel like a giddy child; and watched him.

Kano was in his element, looming larger than life over his subordinates. He actually had a shirt on for once; Erron had spent a half hour arguing with him over the fact that he was going to go bare-chested into a room full of people that would be itching for a chance to prove their worth. He had only relented when Erron threatened to shave his damn beard off. Bodily harm didn’t worry him, but threatening the beard made Kano think about wearing a damn shirt. If he didn’t love the man so much, he might just have to kick his ass. He might do it anyways, just for fun.

“Settle down, children,” Kano snorted before he set his hands on his hips. “So, I’m sure you know that most of our work has been coming out of Outworld. Well, that well’s going to dry up for a little while.”

Erron almost rolled his eyes. He wanted to say ‘because you failed to kill the fucking Khan’, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well. Everyone else here was useless and had never set foot in Outworld. They wouldn’t understand anything that Kano was saying, so there was no point in trying to playfully undermine him.

It would be an interesting meeting, regardless, since so many people were giving him dirty looks. He was half tempted to tip his hat, but chose to keep his attention on the far wall instead. Best not to look too interested in the people, even if he thought that he had been contracted to kill a few of them. It was highly likely since the Black Dragons continuously pissed off the Khan’s men. A pity that he wouldn’t be able to cash in any bounties with the Khan anymore. So much money gone; Kano had better provide more than enough to cover his losses.

“And why is he here?” someone demanded. “He killed Kobra!”

Erron shrugged. “Offerin’ my services,” he said.

“Kobra was a dumb cunt,” Kano snorted. “If he let himself get shot, he deserved it.”

“And he was being a shitbag,” Erron said before he set his hands on his belt buckle. “Rest assured, I won’t put any of you six feet under unless you piss either me or Kano off.”

He glanced at Kano and smirked behind his mask. Kano looked like the cat that got the cream; of course he would be happy to hear Erron point out that Kano was the big boss. It was a massive stroke to his ego and Erron would be beating him back with a stick when they got back to Junior’s. At least the poor kid was off on “official business”, so they had the house to themselves.

He did his best to suppress the shiver that rolled through his belly. Just the thought of having a house to himself and Kano aroused him. No one would interfere with them fucking like rabbits on every surface they could find. Erron would spend time cleaning the house top to bottom afterwards to make sure that it wasn’t filthy; it wasn’t their house so he didn’t want it smelling like them when they left; but the thought of being a horny bunny with his lover made him want to cut the meeting short and drag the slightly larger man along behind him.

“Black is one of us,” Kano said. “He’ll get his tats soon enough. In the meantime, get information on the Special Forces. I don’t want them snooping around in our business without us having some dirt to throw at them.”

The dismissal was heard loud and clear. The other Black Dragons filed out of the room, glaring at Erron over their shoulders until the door was closed. Kano rubbed at his jaw before shooting Erron a lopsided grin.

“That a gun in yer pants or you just that eager to be alone with me?”

Erron flipped him off as he walked past him. “Keep up and maybe you’ll find out.”

He heard Kano laughing behind him as he stepped into the hall. The larger man kept his hands to himself as they walked back towards Junior’s house, but he could feel the man’s eyes rolling over his ass. When he was younger, he probably would have done something to accentuate his ass, but he was old and crotchety now. No slow hip roll in public for Kano.

He was pounced on as soon as the door to the house was open. He laughed as he was tackled to the floor, meeting Kano’s hungry kisses with his own. Kano kicked the door closed behind him, refusing to move his mouth from Erron’s. His hands pulled at Erron’s belt, tugging it loose. A warm hand slid into his pants, caressing down the length of his dick before rolling down to caress his balls.

“K-Kano,” he gasped. His hips arched off the floor, putting the weight into Kano’s palm.

“You make the prettiest noises,” Kano smirked as he pulled on Erron’s bottom lip with his teeth. “Like my hand on your balls, Erron?”

“Yes,” Erron moaned as Kano started massaging his balls. “Feels so nice.”

Kano smirked as he started biting and kissing Erron’s neck. “Giving me a lot of power here, Erron,” he warned. “Could do some real damage.”

“You could,” Erron agreed. “And I’d neuter you on the spot.”

“That a threat or a promise, cowboy?”

Erron wrapped his legs around Kano’s waist and rolled them over. He growled down at Kano before kissing him, grinding himself down against the bulge in his lover’s pants. Kano’s pupils blew wide and he let out a long hiss as his erection struggled to get free of its confines. Erron smirked as he reached down and slowly pulled the fly of Kano’s pants down.

He shifted backwards as he slowly pulled Kano throbbing cock out. He gave his lover another smirk before he started kissing and lathing over the head of his cock.

* * *

 

Kano watched Erron sleep, feeling himself throbbing from how hard his lover had ridden him. They’d managed to fuck on every available surface on the first floor before heading to the bed for a nap. They were both old fucks and needed a rest after fucking like rabbits. He didn’t mind, of course. Erron was such a beautiful man when he was sleeping.

He ran a thumb slowly over Erron’s scuffy cheek. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his temple, smiling as he felt a small puff of air against his neck as his lover murmured in his sleep. He wrapped his arms around Erron’s shoulders, smiling as Erron pushed himself closer. He saw his eyelids flickering for a moment before tucking his head against Kano’s throat.

Kano heard his phone going off and did his best not to reach over to smash it. He rolled towards the bedside table, grumbling as he picked up the phone.

“What?” he snapped as he answered.

“Hello, Kano,” a familiar female voice said.

Kano grinned widely. “Welly, welly,” he chuckled. “Hello, Sonya. Now how did a good girl like you get my number?”

“You aren’t hard to track once you return to Earth, Kano,” Sonya said, her voice very calm but straining on the edges. “You like to leave a trail.”

“A trail? Or do you just know how to find me, sweet girl?” he asked. “You never could keep your hands off of me.”

“You can’t run forever, Kano.”

“I’m not running, Sonya; you’re the one that fails at catching me every time I leave for business.”

He felt a shiver up his spine and glanced over his shoulder. Erron had woken up and was giving him a look that was the human personification of melted chocolate. He licked his lips slowly before crawling over to Kano, nuzzling his way up Kano’s back, making sure to drag his teeth over every raised scar. Kano didn’t bother holding his groan in.

“So, what have you been up to, girlie? How’s that sweet little girl of yours? Cassandra, wasn’t it? When am I going to get to meet her?”

“You won’t. Ever,” Sonya snapped. “When I find you, Kano, there won’t be enough of you left for burial.”

“Tell her to leave your dick intact,” Erron growled in his other ear. “Then I can still fuck you when you’re dead.”

Kano snorted with laughter and reached up to shove Erron away. “Shove off, you,” he said.

Erron grinned in that hypnotically sexy way of his and leaned in close. He bit Kano’s ear, gently tugging it as his fingers dug into the meat of his chest. Kano glanced at his phone to see if Sonya was still there and smirked.

“Almost got you turning into a voyeur, Sonya,” he said. “Maybe I should turn on the camera and let you get a good view.”

“Good view of you getting buggered?” Erron growled in his ear.

Kano blinked. “What?”

Erron shoved him down onto the bed and took the phone from his hand. He turned the device one way and then the other before pressing a button. An image of General Blade appeared above the phone and Erron smirked.

“You done interrupting us?” he asked. “Or do I have to give you a show to get you to piss off?”

“Who…?” Sonya looked Erron up and down. “I…didn’t know Kano batted for the other team.”

Kano rolled his eyes. “It’s called ‘bisexual’ sweetheart; not my fault yer uncultured. Erron, turn that thing off. I’ll deal with the good general later.”

Erron looked down at the phone. “Uh.”

“Red button that looks like a phone on a cradle,” Kano smirked.

Erron tapped the screen a few times before the phone finally turned off. He set it on the nightstand with a grumble, a faint blush creeping over his cheeks. Kano chuckled as he reached up to rub his thumb over the blushing cheek, loving the way that Erron turned to nuzzle and nip at his palm.

“Now, what were you saying about buggering me?” Kano asked.

“Yer not opposed to the idea, are you?” Erron smirked down at him. “I know you’re a dominating man, but I thought you’d like the change.”

Kano chuckled. “If it’s from you, babe, I’m all ears,” he said. “Just say that spell so you don’t tear anything, yah?”

“I wouldn’t go in dry, dumbass,” Erron scoffed. “I want to enjoy this and you.”

Kano smirked as Erron leaned forward and kissed him. He whispered the spell against Kano’s lips and Kano jumped as he felt something ooze out of places he was certain he wasn’t supposed to have feeling in. Erron nuzzled him, cooing about ‘first time’s a bitch’, before he trailed kisses down Kano’s neck.

He settled between Kano’s thighs, eyes moving slowly over Kano’s body. A strange sense of vulnerability overcame Kano and he looked away, willing himself not to start chewing on his lips like a scared child. He’d had plenty of people between his thighs over the years and Erron had seen him naked for almost a year now. He shouldn’t have been so awkward all of a sudden.

‘Sure, but it’s not usually you about to get a dick in the ass,’ his mind supplied unhelpfully. ‘That’s a first.’

Kano realized that his leg was bouncing and willed it to lie still. Erron was looking at him with his head tilted to the side. His eyebrows pulled together for a moment before his eyes widened.

“Have…have you never…?”

“Usually the one doing the pushing,” Kano said, hating how small his voice sounded. “And by usually, I mean always.”

Erron looked at him for a moment before leaning forward. He kissed Kano slowly, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Kano’s hair. His eyes were gentle when he pulled away, not minding that there was a lewd string of spit connecting their lips.

“I’ll be gentle,” Erron teased before fisting his cock. “At least until I get you moaning for more.”

Kano smirked. “Don’t get yer hopes up,” he warned. “I don’t exactly scEAM.”

His voice went embarrassingly high as Erron pushed into him unexpectedly. He felt himself flush as Erron smirked down at him. He reached up, grabbed his lover by the throat, and yanked him down for a kiss.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have to shake things up to keep things from getting stale. Kano is okay with this.


	9. Chapter 9

Erron watched the street as Kano dealt with some business partner inside some special building. Some sort of government official, if Kano was to be fully believed. The man inside was certainly important, but Erron doubted that anyone in the government would be dumb enough to meet with a black market kingpin in broad daylight. He knew people were stupid as a whole, but he doubted someone that was in that sort of position of power was that dumb. They wouldn’t survive very long if they were.

He saw someone coming up on his left and glanced over at them. It was one of Kano’s captains, some man that he didn’t bother to know the name of. He nodded in greeting before returning his attention to the street.

The punch caught him in the gut and he felt the air leave his lungs. He curled forward, dropping to his knees as he struggled to breathe. He gasped and coughed, glancing up as the man stepped closer. A boot caught him in the jaw and he was flipped onto his back. His hat went bouncing across the sidewalk, leaving him staring up at the sky as his world spun.

The man loomed over Erron before his foot slammed into the side of his head again. Stars exploded in front of his vision and he felt his eyes roll backwards in his head. Bile crawled up his throat, sitting painfully behind his Adam’s apple and refusing to let him swallow. He heard other feet approaching, but he couldn’t understand what was being said; his ears were ringing too hard to hear anything else.

He felt himself get picked up and dropped unceremoniously onto something. His eyes fluttered closed and he must have passed out because he woke to a bucket of water being dumped over his head. He cried out in surprise, shuddering as his flesh pimpled immediately. He realized a moment later that he was buck naked with his arms and legs secured behind his back. He thrashed, snarling at the men and women that were standing around him.

“What you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “Untie me!”

One of the men stepped past him and he heard metal creaking open. He smelt fire; one burning over hot coals; and heated metal. He glanced over his shoulder, staring into the heart of a furnace. He could see a length of metal sitting in the middle. The man turned the metal slowly before pulling it out and tapping the bright red end on the edge of the furnace.

Erron felt his heart start beating hard against his ribs. He swallowed, doing his best to keep himself from trembling. He could see the shape at the end of the length of metal rod and he felt vomit crawling up his throat. He did his best to breath slowly, watching as the man walked back in front of him and handed the glowing rod off to someone else.

“Kano wants you to be considered a Dragon,” the man said as he slowly twirled the rod. “You killed a dragon, though. You can’t be trusted.”

“Fuck you,” Erron snapped. “This isn’t funny. Get some better ideas with yer hazing and then come talk to me.”

The man smirked and swirled the rod in his hand, bringing the glowing end up towards Erron’s face. “Hazing? You aren’t one of us, Black.”

Erron tried to shuffle backwards, but his legs refused to obey him. Pins and needles shot up and down his calves as he tried to move, letting him know that his legs were very much asleep. The man shoved Erron to the ground, bracing their boot on his shoulder. The burning brand hovered over Erron’s chest before dropping down to the meat of his pectoral.

Erron screamed. He could smell and hear his flesh burning. He thrashed under the man’s boot, trying to get to his feet as he flailed. He heard the others laughing at his situation, taunting him over the sound of his screaming. The brand should not have been against his flesh for this long; Erron had spent enough time around cattle to know that it only took a few moments to brand flesh.

“Stop!” Erron screamed. “Please!”

“Aw, look at that; the cowboy can’t even handle a little branding,” the man laughed as he pulled the brand away.

Erron screamed again as his flesh was pulled off with the end of the brand. Blood oozed out of the wound, followed by a clear liquid. Erron bit his lip, straining to breathe as his body told him that he had a very big, open wound on his chest. His chest heaved, unintentionally forcing more blood out of the wound. He tipped his head back and sucked air in between his teeth, trying to ignore the laughter of the Black Dragons.

“What do you think, should I brand his ass too?” the man laughed. “Only fitting the cowboy gets branded like a cow, right?”

The laughter fell short as something blasted through the low-lit room. Several of the Black Dragons cried out in alarm before a body slumped to the floor at Erron’s feet. He lifted his head and blinked at the body of the man that had been torturing him only a few minutes before. The back of his head was completely melted, letting the burned remains of his brain tumble out into the growing pool of blood. The air smelled of burnt flesh and hair, much more than when Erron had been branded.

He looked up and almost laughed as he watched Kano stalk into the room. The red eye laser was glowing brightly, bits of electricity crackling along the edges. Junior was hot on his heels, a furious expression on his face as he rolled his stocky shoulders. Kano looked slowly around the room before growling at Junior.

“Get him out of here.”

Junior darted forward without a word, pulling a knife out of his belt. He knelt down beside Erron and cut his restraints, offering a hand as Erron’s limbs flopped uselessly under him. Erron felt his jaw moving, but he had no idea what he was saying. Junior helped him to his feet, letting Erron’s body hang on him without a word.

He half-dragged Erron out of the room, passing a strangely silent Kano on the way. Erron’s arms were still screaming with pain as pins and needles ran down to his digits, but he managed to move his hand just enough to touch Kano’s palm. Kano didn’t look at him, but Erron saw the small tremor pass through Kano’s massive shoulders.

“Can you walk?” Junior asked as they left the room.

“Barely,” Erron coughed as he let himself get leaned against the wall. He sank down to the floor with a groan and touched a hand to his burned pectoral. “Fucking hell.”

“What the fuck did they use?” Junior grumbled as he ripped off a chunk of his shirt, folded it up, and pressed it over the bloody wound.

“Brand.”

“Well, I can see that, Erron,” Junior rolled his eyes. “I meant what was it made out of.”

“Iron.”

“Never seen iron tear flesh like that.”

“Jackass held the brand too long,” Erron groaned and beat a fist against the wall. “Fucking hell!”

Erron growled at Junior as his eye was forced open. Junior squinted at him before letting out a low whistle.

“I don’t know what they have you on, but your pupils are blown, man,” he said.

“Doesn’t feel like I’m high.”

“Don’t necessarily have to be high,” Junior frowned. “Could have had the intention to make the pain much more intense. Those bastards probably had something….”

He fell silent and winced as a blood-curdling scream tore through the hallway. Erron heard flesh tearing and the sound of an infuriated Kano going absolutely ape-shit on the members of his gang. He grimaced before glancing at a white-faced Junior.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Get me a pair of pants, would you? I’m not walking out into the city with my dick flopping free.”

Junior nodded before scooting down the hall to the doorway they had just left. He poked his head around the side and whistled sharply. Erron closed his eyes, ignoring the clipped conversation that the two men were having. He opened his eyes as Junior returned with a bloody pair of pants. They were too tight around the hips, but at least his anatomy wasn’t hanging out to get shot.

“Thanks,” he grunted as he lifted a hand.

Junior hauled him to his feet and helped him out of the building. It was night when they stepped outside. How long had he been in that building? He didn’t want to think about it. He’d rather not think about what was done to him before he woke up.

Junior helped him into a car and Erron closed his eyes as the car started rolling away. “What about Kano?” he asked.

“He was…still teaching his subordinates a lesson,” Junior said as he kept his hands on the wheel. “He was really pissed off when you went missing. Didn’t think that they’d do that though.”

“It’s just a burn,” Erron murmured as he tipped his head back against the headrest.

“It’s an insult to Kano’s position as leader,” Junior shook his head. “You’re his and they took you and branded you.”

Erron chuckled at the thought. Junior probably didn’t believe that Kano cared about Erron. If he wasn’t on the receiving end of Kano’s curious form of affection he might have doubted it too. Kano’s reaction to finding Erron tied, naked, and branded while surrounded by his subordinates was over-the-top. If that wasn’t the sign of Kano caring, there wasn’t going to be another method.

If he wasn’t so exhausted, he would have felt loved.

* * *

 

“You look better. Still like shit, but better.”

Erron smirked as he sat up in bed. Kano looked haggard, but his eyes were bright. Apparently, killing off his captains gave him a thrill that he had been missing out on. It was a little anxiety inducing, but it wasn’t surprising. Kano always had a weird killing fetish.

“Better now that whatever drug they put in me is out,” Erron said. “Thanks for finding me so quick.”

“Wasn’t easy to track you down,” Kano frowned. “Those fuckers didn’t make it obvious where they were hiding.”

Erron shook his head. “You’re surprised by that?”

“No,” Kano smirked as he walked over and sat on the bed beside him. “Just annoyed that I didn’t get there before they hurt you. What was that brand even of?”

“Coiled dragon,” Erron said as he patted the patch of gauze over his chest. “Kid’s got quite the healing touch.”

“Should have been a doctor,” Kano smirked. “Dumbass.”

Kano leaned over and kissed him. Erron closed his eyes, reaching up to cup Kano’s jaw. He pulled Kano closer to him, nipping Kano’s lip as he reached his arms over Kano’s shoulders.

“I…have something to confess,” he murmured.

“Confess?” Kano asked in between kisses.

“Yes. There’s another reason that Kotal was pissed we started fucking.”

“The Khan needed a reason to hate me before I tried to kill him?” Kano smirked.

“I wasn’t just his huntsman, Kano. I…we had sex.”

“What?”

“Kotal paid me to have sex with him. As part of my employment.”

“I…I really want to cut that guy’s balls off now,” Kano said. “Did you care about him?”

“No. He was my employer and keeping him happy was part of the job,” Erron shook his head. “It didn’t mean anything. It was just a release. Besides, pretty sure that man could only love one person and that woman’s dead.”

“All the better for me,” Kano smiled before he rested a hand over the patch on Erron’s chest. “Branding you, what the fuck were they thinking?”

“Humiliation, most likely,” Erron sighed. “It’s tender.”

“Yah, go figure; they fucking did it wrong,” Kano snorted before kissing him again. “Anyone ever puts their hands on you again and I’ll tear their hearts out through their assholes.”

“I would pay to see that, Kano,” Erron chuckled before he closed his eyes. “I need to sleep. That drug, whatever the fuck it was, is draining me.”

“I won’t be far,” Kano promised before kissing him. “You tell me anything else you need and I’ll get right on it, gorgeous.”

“Don’t lay it on too thick, Kano,” Erron chuckled as he wiggled down under the covers. “Keep it to a low roar down there.”

Kano kissed his forehead before leaving the room, pulling his cellphone out of his back pocket as he went. Erron let himself smile before closing his eyes. His whole body was aching and he needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cowboy gets an owie and Kano is PISSED.


	10. Chapter 10

“You ready?”

Erron lifted an eyebrow at Kano. “I’m fine,” he said. “Aches are all gone.”

Kano did not look convinced. He rubbed at his jaw before glancing at the entrance to the park. It was the dead of night, the “perfect” time to meet with SF soldiers, according to Kano. He wanted them to meet in a fairly open area, but there were too many bushes for Erron’s liking. Anyone could be hiding in them and he couldn’t get a good bead on anyone.

“Need you ready to shoot at a moment’s notice,” Kano said.

“My hands don’t shake, Kano,” Erron reassured him. “And I hear footsteps.”

Kano grinned wickedly as a group of soldiers stepped into view. Their guns were trained on them, completely ignoring the shadows as they advanced. Erron’s fingers itched to close around the grip of his gun, but he forced his hand to stay put. Kano pushed off of the bench he had been sitting on and set his hands on his hips.

“Well, took your time, didn’t ya?” he called. “I thought you would be much more eager to see me when you learned I had information about yer precious trinket.”

One of the soldiers motioned for the others to spread out. Erron frowned, watching someone step to the side. He tipped his head back for a moment before looking at Kano.

“Is that…that actor asshole?” he asked.

“Johnny Cage,” Kano smirked. “Bringing all the old friends, Sonya.”

“Can it, Kano,” a woman growled as the soldiers moved closer. “You’re coming with me in chains.”

“Tempting offer,” Kano smirked. “But, see, I don’t feel like it. I happen to like being free.”

“This isn’t up for discussion,” Sonya snapped before she shifted her stance.

Erron whipped his gun up and out of its holster. He fired three times, dropping two soldiers to the ground. They were missing a good chunk of their face. The last one fell screaming as their kneecap ceased to exist. The other three soldiers dropped dead as someone fired from the bushes, drawing Sonya and Johnny’s attention.

Junior emerged from the bushes and knocked Johnny to the ground, pointing the muzzle of the gun against his head. Kano let out a long, cold chuckle as he shrugged a shoulder.

“Oops,” he said. “Guess that puts us on even footing, right, Blondie?”

“You bastard,” Sonya growled. “You will pay for this.”

“Shouldn’t have brought trigger-happy soldiers with you,” Kano said. “So, you want my information or should I send you and the pretty boy packing?”

Sonya grit her teeth before she nodded sharply. “Where’s the amulet?”

“Mileena has it,” Kano said. “I have the coordinates to pass off so that you can retrieve it. No strings attached.”

“You’ll just give it to us…for free?” Sonya narrowed her eyes.

“I threatened to cut his balls off if he didn’t make right for the fact that Mileena almost fried my ass with that thing,” Erron snorted.

“Just his balls?” Johnny called, only to grunt as Junior nudged his ribs.

Erron smirked behind his mask. He had made a lot of threats, but the main one was to cut his balls off and make them into a dog collar. Kano had been very concerned for his beard and his ability to have a good time. Erron was sure that Kano was going to go through with his plan anyways, but it was funny just to threaten him and watch him get concerned over his wholeness.

“So, what do you say, Sonya?” Kano smirked.

“Coordinates. Now.”

Kano chuckled as he pulled a chip out of one of the pouches on his hip. He walked over to Sonya and held it out to her. Sonya lowered her gun to grab the chip, glaring at Kano the whole time. Erron angled his gun towards her, knowing that he had to be ready at a moment’s notice to kill the woman. Kano dusted his hands off as soon as Sonya took the chip and turned to walk away.

“See you soon, love,” he said. “Let’s get going.”

Junior stepped away from Johnny and followed in Kano’s shadow, gun held close to his chest as he moved. Erron inclined his head to the surviving Special Forces agents and followed Kano towards the entrance to the park. He waited until they were well out of earshot before he nudged Kano’s elbow.

“That Johnny’s pretty cute,” he smirked.

“No brain in that skull of his,” Kano chuckled. “Like a damn peacock. A studding one, anyways.”

Erron chuckled as they stepped out of the park and headed for the car parked on the side of the road. Junior climbed into the driver’s seat, pointedly ignoring Kano’s glare as he was forced to take shotgun. Erron got into the backseat and immediately buckled himself in; Kano could tease him all he wanted, but he’d seen what happened to people that we in accidents and he was not going through the front window. Immortality would not save him from a high-speed impact.

Kano settled back as the car pulled away from the curb. He tapped on something on his wrist and Erron leaned forward as he heard something crackle to life.

“Bait’s set, Mileena,” Kano said. “They took it hook, line, and sinker.”

“Good,” a familiar annoying voice growled. “This will make up for your failure, Kano.”

“Just remember what I want out of this,” Kano said as he ran his thumb nail under the nail of his middle finger, picking dirt out from under it. “I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart.”

“The girl will be spared my wrath,” Mileena growled. “That is a small price to pay to end the false Khan’s rule.”

“Uh huh. Hope to hear from you soon, Mileena Kahnum.”

Kano hung up before Mileena said anything else. He yawned widely and scratched his head. His head tipped back and Erron leaned forward just enough to poke at his cheek. Kano chuckled and reached up to hold his hand.

* * *

 

Kano watched Erron pass out and smirked. It was good to see him sleeping so soundly. His chest was still inflamed, but most of the swelling had gone down. The idiots’ attempts to brand him failed miserably, leaving only a malformed lump of scar tissue on Erron’s chest. If it was supposed to be the sign of the Black Dragon, his idiot captains had failed miserably.

“Stop staring,” Erron yawned as one of his brown eyes opened. “Annoying.”

Kano smirked as he climbed onto the bed. He kissed down Erron’s neck, loving the soft, unhappy whine he pulled from the other man. He got a half-hearted cuff to the face and backed down, smirking the whole way. He met Erron’s glare and winked, grinning at the eyeroll he got.

“You don’t like me being playful?”

“I was up at the crack of dawn, Kano,” Erron yawned. “And you didn’t let me get a nap in before we went out to meet the general. I am exhausted.”

“Too exhausted even for a kiss?” Kano asked.

He got another swat at his face for the question. He laid down without another word, setting his arm over Erron’s waist. It was good to have Erron be with him; he hadn’t realized how lonely he was until he heard Erron say those three terrifying words.

“What did I do before you?” Kano murmured against Erron’s neck.

“Annoy the hell out of everyone around you,” Erron yawned.

Kano smirked and tucked his face into Erron’s shoulder. “Asshole.”

“Like you’d have me any other way.”

Erron was snoring before Kano had a chance to respond. He smiled against his lover’s neck, closing his eyes to focus on the soft growl of Erron’s snore. Such a rough sound should not have been as pretty as it was. Erron was a tough man to find adorable, but Kano managed it when he remembered that he snored like a freight train.

His communicator went off what felt like only moments later, but the clock was reading almost ten in the morning. Kano yawned as he rolled over, picked the gizmo up, and activated it. He smirked at the image of Mileena that stood glaring at him.

“Ah, mornin’, luv,” he greeted. “How’d the ambush go?”

“D’Vorah is dead and your prize is secure,” Mileena said. “Kotal’s army has been driven off with more than enough casualties to make up for your blunder. I expected you to come pick up your prize before I let some of my generals sharpen their blades on her bones.”

“I’ll be there shortly,” Kano grinned before he hung up. “Wakey, wakey, Erron; we’ve got a package to pick up.”

Erron sat up with the most dishevelled mop of bedhead he’d ever seen. He groaned as he rolled out of bed and started gathering his clothing, looking absolutely miserable. Kano almost felt bad for waking him up. Almost. He’d be better once he had a cup of coffee in him.

Getting to his feet, Kano pulled on a pair of pants before heading downstairs. Erron would take a little bit longer to get all of his duds on. Man was probably going to do his not-makeup too; Outworld’s sunlight was almost unnaturally bright and he knew the kohl around Erron’s eyes let him see better, even if his hat threw more than enough shade for him.

He had Erron’s coffee ready for him by the time he made it downstairs looking put together but pissed off. Kano didn’t get a ‘thank you’ as he handed Erron the mug, nor had he expected it. Erron was not a morning person and it was fucking hilarious to watch a man that was usually very calm and collected about everything be as prickly as a kicked dog.

“Hold down the fort,” Kano joked to his son as he spotted Chris heading for the door.

“That Mileena lady’s done already?” Chris asked as he backtracked.

“Outworlders like to get shit done as fast as possible to reap the benefits,” Kano shrugged. “Like I said; hold down the fort.”

“Got it,” Chris nodded before he headed back for the door.

He left without another word, probably off to shake down some other gang for money owed to the Black Dragon. At least he would be busy and not begging to tag along to Outworld. He didn’t need any liabilities where he was heading.

“Ready?” Kano asked as Erron rinsed his mug out.

“Boots and I’m ready to roll,” Erron grunted. “Last time I saw Mileena, I was almost fried.”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t touch you,” Kano smirked. “‘Sides, I’m sure she’ll see the hilarity of Kotal’s paid gun going against him.”

Erron grimaced before he pulled his mask up over his face and headed for the front door. Kano followed, pulling on his own boots and lacing them up. He led the way out of the house, not bothering to lock it behind him. No one was dumb enough to rob the house of a Black Dragon; those that were never made it far before retribution found their asses.

It took a little time to find the portal to Mileena’s camp; the coordinates were always shifting around to keep anyone from locking onto Kano’s signal, but it made it equally hard to get where he wanted to. Still, they made it there within three hours. That was the right amount of time for Mileena to not grow bored babysitting his prize.

The guards outside the camp growled as he approached, but they didn’t attack. They twitched at the sight of Erron, but they didn’t do more than curl their thin lips at him as he passed. Erron kept a hand on his gun the whole time, eyes scanning the camp for any sign of danger. Kano wasn’t afraid of getting jumped, but Erron wasn’t on good terms with any of the Tarkatans or Mileena. Being vigilant would keep his ass from getting whacked.

“You took your time, Kano,” Tanya commented as he and Erron approached Mileena’s tent. “And you brought Kotal’s pet with you. Mileena Khanum will not like that.”

“He works for me, not the Khan,” Kano said. “Any misbehaving will be dealt with, I assure you.”

Tanya snorted at his comment before sweeping the tent flap aside and motioning for him to step in. The scent of blood hit him as soon as the tent flap moved, but that didn’t surprise him given that he was surrounded by Tarkatans. There was a butchered carcass of some sort of deer off to the side, flies already buzzing over the putrefying flesh. He heard Erron let out a soft gag behind him, but he knew that Erron wasn’t actually about to hurl.

“Kano,” Mileena rose from her throne and waved at one of the Tarkatans attending her. “I almost made good on my promise.”

“Arrived as quickly as we could,” Kano smiled. “Now, where is she?”

Mileena said something to her guards and they hurried off to a curtained-off section of the tent. There was the sound of a scuffle before the guards emerged with a form slumped between them. Kano grinned as the beaten, bruised, and bloodied form of Cassandra Cage was dropped at his feet. Blue eyes rolled up towards him and he saw the revulsion on the young woman’s face.

She spat a bloody wad at his boot, but it was barely enough to leave a mark the size of a quarter. He knelt down and cupped Cassie’s chin, lifting it so that she was looking at him through her hazy, clearly drugged eyes.

“Hello, sweetie,” he said. “Isn’t this great? You finally get to meet Uncle Kano.”

“Creep,” Cassie managed to grit out.

“Yeah, probably,” Kano smirked before he hoisted the girl up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “By your leave, Mileena Khanum.”

It was best to be polite to the madwoman when he was in her presence. No reason to get his face eaten off by a pack of psychopaths that ate all forms of meat as a staple of their diet. Mileena waved her hand as she settled back into her throne. Kano bowed to her and was relieved that Erron did the same, even taking his hat off out of respect.

They headed out of the camp the same way they had entered, heading into the thick jungle for a few miles to make sure that Mileena couldn’t send her horde after them. Erron glanced at Cassie from time to time before he let out a soft chuckle.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

“Not sure yet,” Kano said as he kept his arm firmly around Cassie’s waist so that she didn’t move on his shoulder. “But anything should work with her as leverage.”

Erron’s chuckle turned dark as he looked at Kano. “Oh, I have a few ideas,” he said. “Ones that will make the good General tremble.”

Kano grinned. “Let’s hear it.”

As Erron explained the rough outline of his plan, Kano grinned. He knew pursuing this man had been a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you freak out, no, he isn't planning anything related to rape. It's something a little bit more diabolical than that.


	11. Chapter 11

Erron settled himself down beside Cassandra Cage’s chained up form. Kano had decided that it was finally time to move out of Junior’s house and into a more permanent residence a few cities over. Junior was given strict instructions to stop being a dipshit to all the gang’s kids and to actually collect the money owed to their organization rather than just being a bully. If that happened, Erron would be surprised, but stranger things had happened.

Cassie’s head moved towards him before she looked back down at her boots. Her injuries looked worse in the low light of the cell, but they weren’t life-threatening. If what Kano said about the medicine at their disposal now, she’d be right as rain in a few days. In the meantime, though, she’d have to start eating.

“Food’s not poisoned,” Erron said as he rested his head against the wall.

“Not hungry.”

“Don’t bother lyin’, darlin’,” Erron chuckled. “You’re not very good at it.”

He heard Cassie shift and glanced over. She had laid down on her side, staring at his boots with a defeated expression on her face. He almost felt bad for the kid, but knew that her father had likely taught her how to fake her facial expressions. She was probably hoping to pull at his heartstrings and get herself some more freedom.

Sweetheart did not know how Erron Black worked if she thought a little pouting would get her anywhere.

“You’ll need your strength,” Erron said as he leaned over.

He pulled the bun at the back of her head loose and carded his fingers through her blood-crusted hair. She flinched at his touch, eyeing him mistrustfully. He didn’t do anything else, just run his fingers through her filthy hair to clean it up as best as he could. She relaxed after a few minutes and he heard her breathing evening out.

“Kano’s figuring out the best way to get money out of your parents,” Erron said. “He was thinking going after the army itself, but he figured that it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“Mom won’t give him anything,” Cassie said. “She’d mount a rescue op.”

“Would she?” Erron asked before he ran his thumb over her cheek. “Or would she hope that her clever daughter would get free by herself?”

She didn’t answer him and Erron didn’t expect her to. This was a slow game that he had to play and know every step of the way. He reached out and pulled the plate of food closer, holding his hand over it to see if there was any heat left. It was stone cold, as expected, but at least bread tasted good hot or cold.

“Eat,” he insisted before he got to his feet. “I’m going to get you some water. Try a nibble of the bread.”

He turned and walked away. He waited outside the door for a moment, smirking as he heard Cassie tearing the loaf of bread apart with her nails. Good, that should put some pep back in her face. It wouldn’t be any fun for him if Cassie was complacent through everything and had none of the spark that Kano claimed she had.

Erron filled up a glass and a pail of water. He carried it back to the room, impressed that Cassie had eaten not only the bread but had wolfed down some of the soggy vegetables too. She had pushed the plate away from her, likely with her foot considering how far away it was from her. He set the glass and pail down beside her, waiting to see how she reacted.

She snatched the glass up immediately and downed everything as fast as she could. Water dribbled down her chin, but she didn’t seem to notice as she chugged. She set the glass down with a shaking hand and glared at him and then the bucket.

“What’s that for?” she demanded.

“Wash,” Erron said as he dunked a cloth into the warm water. “No lather, unfortunately, but it will get most of the grit off of you.”

“You are not touching me you…!”

“I wasn’t plannin’ on it, darlin’,” he soothed. “Was just going to wash your hair and let you get the rest of you. I’m not some skeevy old man wanting to take advantage of such a sweet girl.”

“Fuck you, creep.”

Yes, there was the fire. That was what he wanted. Not some meek little thing ready to let him do whatever he wanted. He’d keep an eye on this and report the good news to Kano.

“Alright,” Erron lifted his hands and backed away. “I’ll leave the bucket here for you. Wash up if you want. I’m sure all that blood must itch to high heaven and back.”

He retreated to the door and ducked outside. He heard a very loud splash and figured she’d knocked the bucket over out of spite. He smirked to himself as he headed out of the basement of the building. Kano was leaning against the wall opposite the stairwell when he emerged. One graying eyebrow lifted and Erron nodded.

“Got her to eat and drink,” he said. “Put the fire back in her for now.”

“You know this is going to take awhile, right?” Kano asked.

“I’m well aware,” Erron chuckled. “I’m a patient man; I’ll outlast her will, trust me.”

Kano reached out and cupped Erron’s cheek. “You are a dirty sonovabitch,” he growled. “Where have you been these last few decades?”

“Serving the Khan of Outworld,” Erron chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m here now.”

Kano chuckled and kissed him, pulling him flush against his chest. Erron growled as he felt teeth on his lip, pulling back to press a finger against Kano’s lip.

“Careful; if I smell too much like you, we’ll spook dear Cassie,” he grinned.

Kano grinned and laughed before kissing him again, this time much deeper.

* * *

 

Cassie glanced up as one of the Black Dragon stepped into her room with a platter of food in hand. They had not fed her something hot in a while, probably because she hadn’t touched it and they didn’t want spoiled food stinking up their base. The woman set the tray down by Cassie’s side and nudged it towards her.

Cassie refused to look at the food until the woman had left. There was bread, cold cuts, and raw veggies and fruit. They wanted to keep her alive, probably so that they could get more out of General Blade. Kano must have been stupid if he thought that using her as leverage would work against the General. There was probably already a rescue op being planned while she sat here. She wouldn’t be left to rot.

She reached out for the tray and pulled it closer to her. She picked up the bread and tore into it, wondering where the Black Dragon had gotten a breadmaker since the loaves were always fresh. She eagerly devoured every last bite, taking swigs from the water jug beside her. Her stomach groaned as she ate, reminding her that it had been a while since she’d had a big meal. It was best not to make herself sick.

“How’re you feeling?”

Cassie threw the water jug at the owner of the voice, scrambling away from the plate of food and tucking herself into the corner. Erron Black sidestepped her hastily thrown projectile and one sandy brown eyebrow rose.

“I startle you?” he asked.

“Didn’t hear you come in,” Cassie eyed him. “What do you want, cowboy?”

“Making sure you were eating,” he said before settling himself down by the wall. “Don’t want to send you back to your Ma all sickly.”

“Won’t be worth as much money?” Cassie sneered.

“That and I wouldn’t want her to think that Southern hospitality is a lie,” Erron chuckled.

Cassie narrowed her eyes before reaching out to pull her meal closer to her. Erron stayed where he had sat down, a tumbler of whiskey held loosely in his hand. Cassie wanted nothing more than to down an entire bottle of vodka so that she could pass out and never wake up again, but she doubted that Erron was going to oblige her that.

“You don’t mind?” Erron asked as he gave his glass a small shake.

“Mind what?”

“My drinking.”

“And if I told you I didn’t?”

Erron looked at her before setting the glass down at his knee. “Then I would refrain from drinking it in your presence.”

Cassie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “Fuck you,” she snarled before she grabbed the knife off the plate; it was only a butter knife and she couldn’t cut a carrot with it; and threw it at him. “Fuck you!”

Erron lifted his hand to block the knife and he somehow managed to look hurt. “What did I do?” he asked.

“You aren’t playing mind games with me, Black,” Cassie snarled. “I’m onto you, you creep!”

Erron’s brows furrowed before he got to his feet. “I clearly overstepped a boundary,” he said. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Cassie watched as he backed up towards the door and ducked out. She heard the lock click shut and swallowed, looking down at her hands. The manacles chaffed her flesh and she knew that her wrists were raw under the steel. She flexed her fingers, trying to stamp down on the guilt that was bubbling up inside of her.

Was she wrong about Erron Black? Was he actually invested in returning her to her family? She didn’t know much about the bounty hunter, only that he had abandoned his employer after being ordered to return Kano to the Khan. No one seemed to want to talk about it, eyeing the Khan whenever it was brought up. Why anyone would decide to work with Kano and the Black Dragon?

Was he playing some sort of long con? Was that why no one wanted to talk about it? The Khan didn’t want to run the possibility of losing his only means to spy on the man that tried to kill him? But why would Kano trust Black knowing that he served Kotal Khan?

Cassie looked at the tumbler of whiskey and scooted towards it. She picked the glass up and gave it a slow swirl. She sighed heavily before knocking back the drink, feeling it burn all the way down. She coughed a little, surprised by how strong the drink was, before she set the glass down and returned to her meal. She’d worry about Erron Black and the situation after she had eaten.

* * *

 

Kano laughed. “Just like her Momma, that one,” he cackled. “Threw a bloody butter knife at you!”

Erron snorted his agreement. “She thinks she knows what’s going on,” he mused. “But, I just have to keep going slow.”

“You sure this will work?”

“If not, it will certainly fuck with her head enough to make her reconsider her place in the Special Forces.”

“You hope.”

Erron shrugged. Kano snorted softly and leaned back in his chair. He glanced over at the interrogation going on below his and Erron’s table, smirking as he watched Kira slowly carve the skin off of the spy’s fingers. He was so happy that his men had found a traitor in their midst that was feeding information to the Special Forces; it would give them more than enough information to break the littlest Cage.

“Could you watch that without getting a stiffy?” Erron sighed.

“You don’t see the beauty of it, Erron?” Kano grinned at him.

“I’d prefer to do it myself, but Kira is a determined woman. Where did you even find her?”

“Can’t remember, but she’s a good soldier,” Kano said. “She’ll get more information out of that bastard than anyone could ever hope for.”

“We could use the help,” Erron said before he shifted closer. “You and I should ditch the party, Kano.”

Kano grinned and got to his feet. “I like the way you think, Erron.”

Erron smirked as he got to his feet. He would have been sassy if he didn’t walk like a damn panther out of the room. Kano watched him go, licking his lips as his pants hugged his ass perfectly. Where had this man been all his life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psychological warfare is so much more damaging than physical. Erron's in this for the long haul and he has the patience to outlast anyone.


	12. Chapter 12

Erron took to spending his nights in Cassie’s cell. At first she was terrified when she woke to find him sleeping against the wall across from her. Then, she realized that any attempts on her life were immediately abandoned as soon as the Black Dragon goons spotted Erron’s frame in the gloom. It was reassuring that she wasn’t going to get jumped once the goons thought that Kano’s eye had wandered elsewhere.

“Why do you care?” Cassie asked.

“Hmm?” Erron lifted his head.

“Why do you spend your nights in here with me?” Cassie shook her head. “Sitting on the floor isn’t comfortable. Can’t be good for your back either.”

Erron shrugged a shoulder. “Been hearing too many whispers about what people want to do with you,” he said. “Don’t like them.”

Cassie shivered. She could just guess what all of those creeps wanted to do with her. Each new idea made her feel sick to her stomach. Erron shifted closer and she watched him, unsure what he was planning. His hand, much bigger than hers, settled on her knee and squeezed.

“They won’t lay a hand on you, kid,” he said. “Promise.”

Cassie nodded, appreciating the promise. She didn’t think he was actually going to do anything if someone showed up, but it was nice to fool herself into thinking that someone was on her side out here. These creeps weren’t her friends and they would do horrible things to her as soon as Kano looked the other way. Having even one person watching her back was appreciated. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cold stone of the cell.

“Has…General Blade made contact?” she asked quietly.

“She has, but Kano didn’t like her demands,” Erron sighed. “Said it was insulting to offer so little for the daughter of the general.”

“He would say some shit like that,” Cassie sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. “I…I want to go home.”

“I know,” Erron’s voice grew oddly soft. “I know. I’m trying to talk Kano into being less of a dick, but the man is insufferable.”

Cassie let out a soft chuckle. “Yah, Mom always said the same,” she murmured. “He’s a monster. What are you doing working for him? Kotal Khan is an honorable man.”

“Kotal is honorable, but he doesn’t pay very well,” Erron shook his head. “Kano, for all his habits and tastes, doesn’t stiff a man for a job well done.”

“So you’re only interested in money?”

Erron shrugged a shoulder. “It’s all that matters to me in this world. Never had much of anything else; money talks in all realms, so I learned to speak the language.”

Cassie rested her head on her knees. “That sounds almost tragic.”

“Don’t need the pity, Cage,” Erron chuckled. “I’m fine with it.”

Cassie let out a long sigh before letting her head fall back against the wall. She was not sure what to make of this. Her head was fuzzy, so she was positive that something had been put in her food. Puking up her meal wouldn’t do her any good since the sedative was already in her bloodstream by now. It was best just to let it run its course and hope that she wasn’t about to wake up in an even worse situation.

“Rest,” Erron’s voice called from far away. “You need it, kid.”

Cassie felt herself drop into oblivion, but she was still aware of everything around her. She heard Erron get comfortable against the wall, but he didn’t say anything. She thought she heard him snoring, but if he was, it was very quiet. The silence in the room was terrifying; she wanted nothing more than to sleep and forget everything, but her mind would not turn off.

She heard the door to the cell open painfully slow. Someone crept in on silent feet, but Cassie could sense their presence. Her heart started racing as she heard the rasp of a blade being pulled from a sheath. She screamed at her body to move, to wake up, but she may as well have been trapped in a mannequin. The uninvited guest prowled forward and Cassie heard them squat down in front of her.

The tip of a knife-blade touched her cheek, curving down towards her chin. Her mind screamed in terror and she felt tears building in her eyes. One leaked down her face and she felt a thumb brush it aside. She struggled to force her eyes open as she felt the knife slide down the side of her neck.

She barely heard Erron move, but she heard the startled yelp of pain as her would-be murderer was attacked. She felt like she had been doused in a bucket of ice water and she gasped as whatever drug was controlling her finally wore off. Her eyes opened and she watched a female form scrambling to get away from Erron in the gloom. His boots clicked loudly against the ground as he moved after the fleeing form, his fury filling the room with suffocating heat.

Her chest rose and fell as her aggressor fled the room, leaving the door open just enough to let light through. Erron was silhouetted for a moment before he closed the door and returned everything to the gloom that always dominated the cell.

“Are you alright?” Erron asked as he walked back to her.

Cassie managed to nod her head, but she felt tears spilling down her face. Erron knelt down in front of her and gently wiped the tears away, cupping her face in his big hands. Cassie didn’t fight him as he turned her face to the side and ran his finger over the thin scratch the knife had left.

“You didn’t wake up?” he asked.

“I was drugged,” Cassie swallowed. “I could hear everything, but my body couldn’t move.”

“That explains why you were so still,” Erron shook his head before pulling away. “Glad I woke up when I did. Your mother would have gutted everyone if she got your head.”

Cassie let out a small laugh before she shifted towards Erron. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Cassie clung to him, crying silently into his chest, and accepting the reassuring hand running over her hair.

* * *

 

“Progress?”

“Progress,” Erron smirked as he sat down. “How’s Kira?”

“A little shaken, but fine,” Kano smirked. “Came up here shaking and spitting about you. Apparently, you are a lot scarier in the dark.”

Erron chuckled. He had gone a little hard on Kira; she had only been doing as he had requested. It did the job, though, and Cassie was already starting to look to him for protection. They were one step closer to reaching their goal and he was giddy with anticipation. If they managed to do what he was hoping, the SF was going to take a massive blow and not know what hit them.

If it worked. There was still a lot of room for error. Even one misstep could bring the whole plan down around his ears. Cassie was starting to react positively to his presence, but he had to be careful. The last thing he wanted was two weeks’ worth of hard work shattered from him moving too fast for the poor girl.

* * *

 

Cassie gave the book a flat look. “Seriously?” she asked.

“What?” Erron looked genuinely confused in the gloom. “It’s a good book.”

“It’s also dark as hell in here,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to read the front cover, let alone the pages.”

Erron smirked as he dropped the book into her lap and pulled out something from a pocket. “See, that’s the genius about this modern era of yours,” he said before flicking a switch on the side of the device. “Light comes from everywhere.”

Cassie was momentarily blinded as the tiny lamp turned on. She shielded her eyes from the glare, letting herself have a small laugh as Erron cursed at the brightness and set it down between them.

“There.”

Cassie shook her head as she looked down at the book. It looked like some sort of cheesy romance novel, but she would take even that sort of drivel over dealing with her own thoughts. They had turned terrifying as of late, a mix between thinking that she was being abandoned and taking her own life just to escape Kano’s hands. A stupid, senseless romance might be just what she needed to escape for a little while.

“You had to pick a romance, huh?” she asked.

“They were all the rage when I was growing up,” Erron shrugged as he settled himself against the wall, as was his custom. “Never saw the appeal, but, maybe I was just the wrong audience for tales of love and other domestic shit.”

Cassie let out a sharp bark of laughter that was far too loud for her liking. She immediately turned her attention to the book, not wanting to make any more noise until she knew she was under control. If she had to read a trashy romance novel to do that, so be it.

The book was surprisingly good. It was still stupid in the way that all romance novels were; predictable twist after predictable twist, same cardboard cut-out characters with interchangeable names; but it was enjoyable. It certainly made the cell seem like an oppressive hole. She dog-eared her page and glanced at Erron, watching as he flipped cards down in front of him.

“I’ve never seen that type of solitaire before,” she said.

“Probably fell out of play after I left Earthrealm,” Erron shrugged a shoulder. “I can teach you, if you want.”

“I don’t have a deck of cards to play it with.”

“I’ll leave you this one.”

“Kano will let you give me that?”

“You’re worth more to Kano sane than unhinged,” Erron smirked. “Or, rather, that’s the excuse I’ll give him.”

Cassie let out a chuckle before she shifted closer to watch Erron start a new game. He walked her through the basic rules, ways to make it harder if she wanted more of a challenge, and the win condition. It was surprisingly simple and she wasn’t sure why people stopped playing this variation.

By the time Erron left to go collect her supper, she was positive that this was the best game of solitaire she’d ever seen played. It was amazing; how could no one else have ever played this before? She couldn’t wait to show Jacqui how to play!

* * *

 

“You left her playing cards?” Kano lifted an eyebrow.

“It’ll wear her down,” Erron smirked. “Throw in a very gentle magical suggestion and she’ll be playing that game until she passes out.”

“That seems like an odd thing to do,” Kano scratched at his jaw.

“She’s been resisting sleep. If she doesn’t sleep, she’s going to start acting irrationally.”

“Wouldn’t that make it easier to influence her?”

“Possibly, but I want her to break willingly; a sane mind breaking is much more satisfying.”

“The way you talk, this is clearly not your first time breaking a prisoner,” Kano chuckled as he pulled Erron’s half-dressed person onto his lap.

Erron’s nails dug into his shoulders as he ground his hips down against Kano’s. “Oh, I’ve done this plenty of times before for the Khan,” he said. “Always fun to hand over a loyal lapdog out of someone that was once an enemy.”

Kano growled and rubbed his thumbs against Erron’s hips. “This is going to be fun if you can pull it off,” he said. “Do keep me up to date on our little lamb, will you?”

“Of course,” Erron grinned before he kissed him hungrily. “Now fuck me.”


	13. Chapter 13

Erron stepped into the cell, eyeing Cassie as she shuffled her deck of cards. Something about her seemed unhinged and he wasn’t sure what had caused it. She seemed perfectly happy the night before when he had left her. Now, though, he could see that she was not in remotely the same mood.

“Mornin’, Cassie,” he greeted.

The cards went flying as Cassie charged him. She got one good punch in to the side of his face, but the rest of her swings lacked power. He was going to be bruised, sure, but someone with her training should have been breaking bone on contact, not leave his skin stinging a little. He let a few more punches land before he grabbed her around the waist and threw her hard against the wall.

She yelped as she struck the stone, eyes going wide as her pupils dilated on impact. He stepped forward, grabbing her by the hair and wrenching her around. He put a boot against her back and shoved her to the ground, putting his weight onto her spine as he knelt down.

“What was that all about?” he demanded.

“Fuck you, creep!”

She struggled under him, but went still as the door opened. Kano stepped in, eyebrows raised as he took in the position they were in. He rubbed his jaw before whistling sharply.

“Get the restraints,” he shouted.

It only took a few minutes for a couple of Black Dragons to come rushing into the room. They shackled Cassie’s arms and legs before dragging her across the room to a couple of braces screwed into the wall. They chained her up, looking from Kano to Erron and back to her as they waited for further orders. Cassie thrashed in her chains, screaming and swearing as she tried to break free.

“I’ll kill you, do you understand me?” she shouted. “I’ll fucking kill all of you!”

“I’m fine,” Erron said as he signaled for the Dragons to leave. “Caught me off guard, that’s all.”

“Your eye’s gunna be bruised,” Kano smirked as he walked over to him. “She got you good, Black.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” Erron huffed before he shoved Kano towards the door. He looked back at Cassie as she dangled from her restraints. “I’ll be back in about an hour with breakfast. Try and relax.”

He left the cell and it was locked behind him. He smirked as he headed out of the basement with Kano at his heels. He knew that the others wouldn’t understand why he was so happy about that burst of anger from their captive, but he was. It meant that he was making progress faster than he anticipated.

“Yer grinnin’ worse than a Cheshire cat,” Kano said as they reached the main floor. “Share?”

“We’re making progress ahead of schedule,” Erron almost purred in delight. “Skipping the long ‘trust’ stage and going straight into ‘anger’.”

“Sounds like grieving,” Kano quirked an eyebrow.

“Not quite, but maybe a little similar,” Erron rubbed at his jaw. “See, now she’s thinking that this is all a trick to get her to spill secrets. She’s pissed, feeling like she’s being played. All I have to do is keep being nice and kind to her, get her trusting me, and it should be much easier to get what I want.”

“You have this down to an artform, luv,” Kano whistled. “Pretty damn sexy.”

Erron smirked before he pulled Kano closer by his belt. He growled hungrily up at his lover, ignoring the grossed out expressions of the other Black Dragons as they moved past them. Kano chuckled before tipping Erron’s jaw back to kiss him.

“Easy there, cowboy,” Kano warned. “You still need to worry about feeding our little rattlesnake.”

“She’ll be fine for a few hours,” Erron said as he slipped a hand down Kano’s pants. “I want this snake more.”

* * *

 

Erron had to hand it to Cassie; when she was pissed, she stayed pissed for a long time. She refused to eat all day, spitting curses at him like that was going to scare him off. He’d dealt with lots of scary women in his day and little Cassie Cage was not even in his Top 100 Scary Women list. She was more sad and adorable than terrifying.

A fact he was sure wasn’t lost on her considering he couldn’t stop grinning as she threw every dirty word she knew at him. She was trying to be intimidating, but since her hair was hanging around her head like a limp, golden halo, he had a hard time taking her seriously. It was like watching an angry poodle bark at him.

He stirred the bowl of chili on his knee, watching as Cassie settled back against the wall, momentarily exhausted. He gave her a few minutes to see if she was going to recover before he shifted closer.

“You done throwing a tantrum?” he asked. She glared at him, but eyed the bowl of chili eagerly. “I’ll feed you when you’ve calmed down.”

She glared at him before settling down, glaring at her feet. He shifted closer and lifted a small spoonful to her lips. She accepted the food without a fight, glaring at him as she shifted in her chains. He didn’t say anything as he fed her, making sure to keep the bites small so that she didn’t do anything stupid. She stopped after a few dozen spoonfuls, turning her head away.

“Full.”

“That’s a lie, but I’ll let you be,” he said as he set the bowl of chili aside. He rested his back against the wall and chuckled. “You are quite the little spitfire, you know that?”

She glared at him. “Fuck. You.”

“Not the first time someone’s told me that,” he smirked. “Or the last, I’m sure.”

“You think I’m stupid, Black?” she demanded.

“Not at all; you’re a smart girl,” he said. “Woman, sorry; force of habit.”

Cassie eyed him, straightening in her restraints. “So why the mind games?”

“Who says I’m playing mind games?” he asked.

“The company, the gifts? You think I can’t see what you’re doing?”

“Making sure that General Blade’s daughter doesn’t go insane from extreme isolation in the headquarters of the SF’s most wanted criminal organization?” Erron offered.

“It’s never that simple, not with men like you.”

“You almost sound like you know what you’re talking about,” he smiled at her. “But, you’re a little young to know how any of the black market shit works. Hell, I’m immersed in it and I still don’t know everything. Kano doesn’t even know anything and he’s the fucking king around here.”

“My…General Blade has firsthand experience dealing with the Black Dragon.”

“And what a bunch of shitheads they are,” Erron chuckled and rested his head against the wall. “If they didn’t pay so good, I might just gut the lot of them.”

“I thought you worked for Kotal Khan,” Cassie said. “Why are you in Earthrealm with the Black Dragon?”

“Got an order I couldn’t follow through on,” Erron said. “And part of the orders was ‘don’t come back at all’ if I couldn’t get the job done. So, here I am, selling my gun for whoever wants it.”

“Sounds almost tragic.”

“If you aren’t used to the mercenary lifestyle, maybe,” Erron smiled at her. “But that’s pretty common. One job ends and the next one is thrown in your lap with a big advance to entice you to help.”

“You could help train Earthrealm warriors.”

“Raiden would sooner gut me for the number of his little warriors that I’ve taken out over the years,” Erron smirked and rubbed at his jaw. “Long memory, that man, and he doesn’t like people that are willing to do bad things just to put food in their bellies.”

“Call me crazy, but I don’t think you do this because you’re starving.”

“Used to be the reason, once, then I realized that I’m the best at what I do and demanded proper compensation for my work.”

Cassie let out a long sigh. “Can…can the shackles come off?” she asked.

“That’s not up to me,” Erron shook his head. “Kano’s gunna have to be convinced you aren’t going to start shit again. I can start working on him, but it will probably take a day or two to calm him down.”

“So I’m stuck in chains until then?”

“Should have thought of that before attacking me,” Erron shrugged. “I’ll do my best to get you out of them as fast as possible. You have my word.”

“For all the good that’s worth,” Cassie snorted and looked down at her feet. “Leave me alone.”

Erron inclined his head. “Try to get some rest, darlin’,” he said before getting to his feet with a soft groan.

He left the cell and smirked. He just had to be patient; she was already starting to play right into his hands. Just a little prodding in the right direction and the girl would be putty in his hands, free to be molded to whatever design he fancied. When she was ready, it was going to be an insane amount of fun for him.

* * *

 

Cassie woke to someone removing the chains from around her wrists. She shook her head to clear the sleep from her eyes, frowning at the man leaning over her legs and removing the chains there.

“Erron?” she asked.

“Mornin’, sunshine,” he grunted as he pulled her pantleg up just enough to check on the status of her chaffed ankles. “You get any sleep?”

“Some,” she yawned. “Managed to convince Kano to stop being a prick?”

“This is Kano we’re talking about,” Erron snorted. “He’ll never stop being that.”

Cassie managed a weak laugh before she sprawled out on her back. Everything ached and she really wished she had a mattress to crash on rather than the cold floor.

“Don’t suppose we could get me a mattress?” she asked. “I’d even take a shitty inflatable one at this point.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but I make no promises,” Erron chuckled.

“Thanks,” Cassie sighed. “For everything.”

“Don’t thank me yet; Kano and the General still haven’t made an agreement,” he said as he straightened up. “Try not to attack anyone else, okay?”

“I make no promises,” Cassie yawned.

She heard Erron chuckle before the door to the cell closed. She sighed and rolled onto her side, trying to get comfortable on the floor. She needed a few more hours of sleep if she wanted to be able to function properly. Her kingdom for a mattress.


	14. Chapter 14

Erron laid the foundation very carefully. Like calming a terrified horse, he took his time getting Cassie to trust him. He made sure to meet her basic needs, slowly getting her more creature comforts while promising to get her a better sleeping arrangement. It was slow going, but he knew the instant that he led her through the compound to her new “room” that she was ready for the next phase of his plan.

“It’s been a month,” Cassie murmured as she dropped onto the cot in the corner of the room.

“It has,” he agreed. “It shouldn’t be much longer.”

She nodded her head, tugging on her stringy hair. She needed a good shower, but he doubted that she would trust the bathroom just yet. Probably paranoid about cameras and whatnot; the Black Dragon were scumbags, after all. Hell, he wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had tried to put in cameras behind his back.

“Has…have you been there during the discussions?”

“I have,” he said as he pulled a chair towards the cot and settled himself down. “Both of them are being assholes about it. General Blade seems to think that she has leverage in this situation.”

“It’s…just how she is,” Cassie murmured. “I’m so tired, Erron. I just…I just want to go home.”

“I know,” Erron soothed as he reached out to squeeze her knee. “I know.”

She shifted and laid down on the cot, closing her eyes. He smirked as she started crying quietly; yes, this was exactly what he needed. Very carefully, he moved onto the cot and lifted her head onto his thigh, running his fingers soothingly through her hair.

“I got ya, kiddo,” he soothed. “Ssh, it’s okay.”

She moved closer to him, swallowing loudly as her sobs got louder. He continued offering her comfort, cementing it in her mind that he was her only source of comfort in the world right now. He needed her to rely solely on him for her mental and emotional well-being. Then once he was sure of that, oh, that was when the fun shit could really start.

* * *

 

“I feel like a dog,” Cassie grumbled as she walked beside Erron through the compound.

“It’s the only way I can get you some exercise,” Erron soothed and shot her that familiar smirk. “So just suck it up and enjoy the freedom while you can. Kano’s been really pissy as of late. Last thing we want is for you to go back in that cell.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. Yeah, that didn’t surprise her at all. Kano seemed to have two moods; complete psychopath and pissy child. It was all starting to get under her skin, but at least Erron seemed to have a sane head on his shoulders. That was more than she could say for any of the other Black Dragons; they were all varying levels of psychopathic crazy.

He was going out of his way to accommodate her now that Kano was starting to make headway with General Blade. She still wasn’t completely sure he was doing this out of the genuine desire to make sure she was okay, but she appreciated it nonetheless. Being able to shower in an actual tub instead of out of a pail was amazing; she was never taking it for granted again.

A working toilet was also amazing, along with toothpaste, floss, and anything she needed to keep her face clean. She wasn’t someone that focused too much on her physical appearance; thank you Dad for giving her good genetics in that regards; but being able to pamper herself a little bit was doing loads for her mental state.

She thought she heard shouting and glanced at Erron. His eyebrows pulled towards each other and he motioned for her to stay put. He took a few steps down the hall to a door that was partially cracked open. He listened there for a moment before ducking inside. Cassie glanced around before she shuffled towards the door, crouching down so that she was harder to detect on the other side.

“I’m through taking your shit, Kano!” she heard her mother’s voice. “Your demands are insane.”

“Insane?” Kano laughed. “Is that what you think they are? I’m just asking what I would for any SF soldier that fell into my lap. It’s not my fault you think that because the girl’s your daughter I should hand her over free of charge.”

“You sent faulty information in the first place, Kano; giving her back would go a long way to appeasing my superiors.”

“That’s not my fault that you didn’t check the area before sending your kid in. I told you where the camp was, just as I said I would. Anything else is on you.”

“I won’t cave to your demands, Kano.”

“Then I guess the girl stays here indefinitely.”

“So be it.”

Cassie’s eyes widened. Her mother couldn’t have just said that. This had to be fake. Her mother would never leave her to rot in the care of the Black Dragon. This had to be a fake, a ruse, some sort of manipulation. They had to have known that she was coming here, right?

Except…Erron and she had wandered the base. They had no set destination in mind. They’d spent an hour just watching the rain fall outside because they both found the thunder soothing. There was no schedule to keep. They couldn’t have known that she and Erron would be walking down this hallway at exactly the right time to hear something like this.

She reached up and dug her fingers into her hair, tugging hard on the strands. She could feel tears burning her eyes, but she didn’t dare let them fall. This was not the place or time to be weak. She was in the middle of the enemy base and if they thought that she was weak….

“Cassie,” Erron sounded exhausted. “How much of that did you hear?”

“She’s going to leave me to rot,” she whispered. “My own mother….”

“Ssh,” Erron helped her to her feet and stared walking her back down the hallway. “Keep it together, sugar. Five more minutes.”

He weaved his way through the compound before stepping into a quiet room. There were chairs in the far corner, but the room didn’t look like it had been used in a while. He guided her over to the chairs and she dropped into them, feeling her world tilting dangerously under her feet. She dropped her head into her hands as sobs started rocking her body.

“I got ya,” Erron murmured before his arms wrapped around her.

He hugged her close to his chest and slowly started running his fingers through her hair. She clung to his shirt, sobbing helplessly as he somehow managed to block out the world. She wanted to believe that what she’d heard was a lie. She wanted to believe that her mother was mounting a rescue op even as she thought about it. But the coldness in her mother’s voice, the way she had told Kano ‘no’ over a standard ransom demand, all of it made her realize just how alone she was.

“Why would she do this to me?” Cassie whispered.

“I don’t know, darlin’,” Erron soothed as he ran a hand down her back. “I really don’t know.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the truth that was staring her in the face. She was stuck with the Black Dragons and no one was coming to get her.

* * *

 

“Couldn’t have timed that better if we tried,” Kano laughed as Erron kissed down his chest. “Poor little Sonya 2 must be heart-broken.”

“She was still crying when I tucked her in,” Erron purred as he nuzzled the half-chub that Kano was sporting. “Poor little thing, all alone in the world. All she has to rely on is the rough-and-tumble cowboy that wants her to be sane.”

Kano purred at the idea, loving that they were so much closer to what they wanted. He could practically taste their victory and he wanted nothing more than to pounce on it right that second. He knew, however, that Cassie still had a ways to go before she was ready for what they had planned. Their insider in SF was playing as much of a careful game, making sure that any and all rescue missions were failing long before they reached the compound. It was taking a lot to keep Cassie with them, clueless and compliant, but Erron was proving his worth with each passing day and no one could say that he was just there to suck Kano’s dick.

That was just one of his many, many duties, of course. Kano sucked him off just as often, so no one could accuse him of taking advantage of his position.

“Think she’ll call you ‘daddy’ when this is over?” Kano grinned.

Erron made a gagging noise at the back of his throat. “Do not say shit like that when I’m about to go down on you.”

“Never wanted to be a dad?”

“It’s crossed my mind a few times, but I’d rather not think about innocent shit like that when I’m looking for a facial.”

“So demanding, Erron Black,” Kano grinned as his lover rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry; I’ll give you all the facials you want.”

“You’d better for the shit I’ve had to put up with from your people,” Erron scoffed.

Kano was kept from replying by Erron swallowing him down to the base. He groaned in pleasure, loving the feeling of his lover’s warm mouth around his cock. He reached down to tangle his fingers in Erron’s hair, tugging just roughly enough to make Erron’s eyelids flutter.

“Such a talented mouth you’ve got,” Kano purred. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were born to suck my cock.”

Erron glanced up at him and rolled his eyes. Kano let out a cackle at the sight, tugging on Erron’s hair again. He saw Erron’s lips curl in a snarl before he pulled off of Kano’s cock.

“If I didn’t love you, I would bite it off,” Erron growled.

Kano lifted an eyebrow. “Aw, that’s not nice.”

“Neither is implying that I was born to be your little toy,” Erron snorted before returning his attention to the hot length of flesh beneath him.

“Didn’t mean it that way, love,” Kano groaned as his cock vanished between Erron’s lips again. “Just meant that we were made for each other. Right soulmates and all that nonsense.”

He saw Erron smirk before he did something to Kano’s balls that made him see stars. His ability to talk was temporarily removed as Erron continued his work. The most Kano could manage were hungry moans, soft grunts, and a babbling noise that sounded suspiciously like “fuck yah”, but even he wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying.

Erron worked him until he was ready to pop, making sure he was a squirming mess before he pulled away. He finished him with firm strokes, leaning forward with his mouth open to catch whatever came spurting out of Kano’s cock. If Kano wasn’t boneless before, he certainly was as he watched Erron lap up every last drop that left him.

“Fucking hell,” Kano groaned. “Got myself a regular incubus.”

Erron smirked as he straightened up. He wiped a drop of semen off of the corner of his lip with his thumb before sucking on the pad, his eyes never leaving Kano’s face. Kano let out a low whistle before he let his head fall back.

“Honey, you are going to kill me,” he warned. “That is just too much for my poor old heart.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet, darlin’,” Erron growled as he crawled up Kano’s chest. “I still haven’t been properly appeased.”

Kano smirked up at Erron’s hungry stare before he reached up to fondle his lover’s ass. “No problem, sugar,” he teased. “I know how to make you scream.”

Erron growled before claiming his lips in a kiss, growling softly as Kano’s fingers found his lubed up hole. Kano returned the kiss as he pushed a digit into Erron’s hot body, loving the broken moan it tore from his lover’s lips. What a wonderful way to end the day; finger-fucking his lover until he was a pile of boneless goo on his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we see Cassie slowly falling to pieces. Stay tuned, folks. It's going to get wild.


	15. Chapter 15

Sonya watched the Black Dragon truck roll up to the rendezvous point. She was simultaneously furious with the situation and terrified that something was going to go wrong. It had taken far too long to work out a suitable compromise with Kano and she was sure that had been by design. Kano wanted her to suffer, not even letting her see her daughter to make sure she was still alive.

If Kano brought her a rotting corpse, she was going to tear the man apart with her bare hands.

“Breathe,” Johnny growled as he glared at the truck. “Breathe.”

She wanted to snap at him to shut his mouth, but she did as he said. He was right; she needed to breathe. Being ready to tear the man’s throat out would not do Cassie any good. Right now, that was all that mattered; getting Cassie safely back to base so that she could be looked over by doctors and make sure that there weren’t going to be any lasting consequences.

The truck doors opened and Kano dropped to the ground, smirking as his mechanical eye flashed. The cowboy climbed out of the back of the truck and turned to help Cassie climb down. Her hands were bound behind her, forcing her to rely on the cowboy just to move around. Seeing that made Sonya furious, but she was grateful for one thing.

Cassie did not look abused. She looked well-fed, well-rested, and like she had access to a shower or bath of some sort. Her eyes looked a little haunted, but she was walking with her head held high. That was a good sign; maybe she could get over this with the right amount of medical attention and sick leave.

“Hello, Sonya,” Kano called. “You have the goods?”

“I do,” Sonya growled as she shoved the crate forward. “Now hold up your end of the deal.”

“Of course,” Kano smirked. “After I’m sure everything’s there.”

Sonya grit her teeth as the cowboy walked forward. He had the top of the crate lifted in a matter of seconds, rifling through whatever was inside. He rose with a nod and Kano glanced at Cassie.

“Looks like you get to go home, sweetie,” he cooed before he pulled a key out of his pocket. “Go say hi to your mommy and daddy.”

Cassie started walking as soon as the cuffs were off of her wrists. She kept glancing at Kano, clearly expecting to get a bullet to the brain as she walked. She bolted the last few meters to Johnny’s side, sliding behind him as the other soldiers lifted their guns. The cowboy hoisted the crate full of military grade weapons onto his shoulder and turned back towards the truck.

It would be nothing to blow the two of them away. Still, she didn’t want to run the risk of them having anything on Cassie in case she gave that sort of an order. She had to wait just a little longer to make sure there wasn’t a bomb strapped to her, then she could think of a way to waste the Black Dragon bastards. The truck rolled away slowly and Sonya held her breath until it was out of sight.

“Get her to medical immediately,” Sonya ordered. “I want her cleared as quickly as possible.”

Johnny nodded as he wrapped an arm around Cassie’s shoulders and guided her towards the truck that was waiting to take them back to base. Sonya watched them go, waiting until Cassie was safely in the back of the truck, before she turned to the soldiers around her.

“Track the Black Dragon. I want to know where their base is,” she ordered. “Kenshi, you’re in charge.”

The soldiers saluted before heading for one of the spare jeeps. She felt Kenshi’s mind prodding against hers, but she pushed him away, not wanting to push too deep into her mind. She had given him his orders and she expected them to be followed. He didn’t need to know why. She turned away from the rendezvous point and headed for the truck waiting for her. She had a lot to think about on the drive home.

* * *

 

Cassie did her best not to squirm as she was poked and prodded by the doctors. She knew that they were just being thorough, but she felt like a science experiment rather than a patient. It was annoying and frustrating and she just wanted to throw herself onto the closest bad and sleep for a year.

“You need to speak with the base psychiatrist as well,” the lead doctor said as he finished putting the x‑ray prints up on the screen. “We want to make sure that your perception hasn’t been tampered with.”

“Of course,” Cassie sighed. “Can it wait, though? I’m exhausted.”

“Of course,” the doctor said before scribbling something down. “Take this to the dispensary; some prescription sleeping pills to help you reach REM faster.”

“Thanks,” she said as she took the paper.

She was allowed to get back into her uniform and immediately headed to the dispensary. The pharmacist on duty took one look at the prescription and immediately started grumbling about chicken-scratch writing and how it was unacceptable that doctors still wrote so incomprehensibly. She managed a weak smile before leaning against the wall to wait for her meds to be prepared. The pharmacist handed her the pill bottle, explaining how to take the pills and to not mix them with alcohol or other recreational drugs. She nodded her understanding before retreating to the room set aside for her.

She popped the pills with a swig of water and immediately laid down. She didn’t want to deal with anyone and she didn’t respond to any attempt to text and talk to her. She fell into a fitful sleep, chased by faceless monsters through all of her dreams. Only a pistol-wielding stranger kept them from getting to her, whispering inaudible words that left her feeling safe and loved.

* * *

 

Sonya frowned as she read over the medical report. There were signs of minor malnutrition a few months back, but the doctor reassured her that it would have been caused by refusing to eat rather than food being withheld. How they could tell that was beyond her, but Cassie might have mentioned that when they were examining her. Still, that seemed too much like a wild guess for her liking.

She didn’t like what she was reading. Not because it was bad, but because it was so good. Cassie was in perfect health; she’d lost some weight and muscle tone, but all of her organs were functioning, her vitamin and mineral counts were within optimal range, and there was no sign of abuse. Kano had treated her better than he treated any of his prisoners. Was it because he wanted to make sure she was worth something to Sonya?

She shivered at the idea, hating that her daughter had been put in that position. She should have known better than to trust Kano. She should have known to triple-check the information he’d given her. If she had done her fucking job like she was supposed to, Cassie wouldn’t have been captured, Kotal Khan’s army wouldn’t have been driven off, and the tenuous peace between Outworld and Earthrealm wouldn’t have frayed to the point where she almost didn’t get her team back.

At least they were all back safely in Earthrealm. Kotal Khan was working on securing the amulet from Mileena, again, and her scouts reported that he was making decent progress in dismantling her army. It was slow going, but, hopefully, it would come to fruition soon enough. Shinnok’s Amulet had to be secured before anyone figured out how to let the fallen Elder God out of his prison.

No one was ready for a full-scale invasion from the Netherrealm again.

Sonya shifted her attention to the psychological report. She’d barely gotten through the first page outlining Cassie’s fragile mental state when there was a knock on her door. She glanced up, frowning to herself at being interrupted, before calling out a curt “come in”.

“You should be resting,” she said as Cassie walked in, looking as formal as she could in her fatigues.

Cassie saluted, playing the role of the proper young soldier, and nodded her head. “I wished to speak with you, General,” she said. “I…I think I need…could I have a short vacation? To recover?”

Sonya blinked. “Of course; I was going to order it regardless,” she said. “There’s a rehabilitation center that works closely with former captives that I was going to send you to. It will help you deal with any of the problems that you are experiencing.”

A shaky smile crossed Cassie’s face. “T-thank you.”

“I need you in top condition if you’re going to lead your team,” Sonya nodded her head. “You’re no good to anyone if you’re suffering through PTSD without the proper means to deal with your triggers.”

She saw the confusion in Cassie’s face. “You…you’re only worried about me leading my team?” she asked.

“Your job is to lead your team to the best of your abilities,” Sonya nodded her head. “Suffering from a mental illness like this makes it very difficult to do that.”

“My job?” Cassie stared at her. “What about me? What about the mental health of your fucking daughter?”

Sonya’s eyes narrowed as she felt heat creep up to her cheeks. There she was treating everything like a military matter again. Fuck, Johnny had been right that she was too focused on work rather than anything else. But, that was her main focus at the moment; she could deal with her duties as a general first and then worry about her duties as a mother once she was certain her daughter wasn’t in danger.

“You are my daughter and my sergeant,” Sonya said. “Your mental wellbeing goes hand-in-hand with both aspects. When the soldier is healed, so will my daughter.”

She watched Cassie’s lips press together and her eyes turn glossy. She was on the verge of tears. Well done, Sonya; you just made a fragile individual tip that much closer to the breaking point. She inhaled slowly to collect her thoughts before stepping closer.

“I’m sorry, Cassie,” she murmured as she opened her arms. “You know I’m terrible at this. I don’t mean that your role as a soldier was more important than the fact that you’re my daughter. It’s easier for me to deal with things in a military sense than on an emotional level. I’m beyond happy and relieved that you’re back, honest.”

Cassie didn’t fight her way out of the hug that Sonya gave her. She held her daughter close, running her hand soothingly over Cassie’s back. She pulled back enough to smile at her daughter, noticing that there was a strange distant look in her eyes.

“Cassie?” she asked.

“Erron was right,” Cassie whispered. “You really do only care about yourself.”

Any attempt to ask what she was talking about was cut off as something sliced its way into her stomach. Sonya gasped in surprise and looked down at the knife sticking out of her gut. Cassie’s hand was grasping the handle of the knife, her forearm trembling as she started breathing harder. Sonya tried to pull away and Cassie ripped the knife out of her.

“Cassie,” she managed to gasp out before the knife slammed into her stomach again.

“Selfish bitch,” Cassie hissed as she continued stabbing Sonya. “You didn’t care about me. You never did. I was only ever worth something to you when I lived your story and played by your rules. Fuck you.”

Sonya crumbled to the ground, coughing and gagging on her own blood. She tried to crawl away, but Cassie dropped all of her weight onto her back. The knife smashed into bone, jarring hard enough to draw a pained cry from Sonya’s lips. She tried to get away, kicking and rocking with all of her might, but Cassie was using all of her weight to pin her down.

“Fuck you,” she whispered over and over again as she stabbed Sonya. “Fuck you.”

Sonya felt the knife slam against her cheek bone and graze her orbital socket. She tried to jerk away, but Cassie held her by the hair, wrenching her head back. She coughed, looking at her daughter in confusion. Cassie gave her a cold, tight-lipped smile before leaning in close.

“Uncle Kano says hi,” she said before digging the knife into Sonya’s throat and tearing it open in several brutally jagged strokes.

Sonya was dropped to the floor, her blood gushing out of the wound on her neck. Cassie stood up and walked around her, kicking her ribs even though she was already very-much dead by this point. She wanted to ask her daughter why she did this, what she had done to deserve it, but she had a feeling she already knew.

The last thought she had before she ceased to exist was that Kano would pay dearly for what he’d turned her little girl into.

* * *

 

No one noticed him when he didn’t want to be seen. He could stand in plain sight, but if he put the suggestion out there that they weren’t, in fact, looking at him, they happily believed him. It made his job so much easier, particularly in this case.

Sliding into Sonya’s office had been easy. He’d given the excuse that he was dropping off a report and had simply parked himself in the corner to wait and watch. He knew what was going to happen and he could stay still and silent for days without moving more than a few inches in any direction.

His patience was rewarded within an hour of him taking up his position. Cassie looked terrible and seeing her in such a state hurt his heart. He was glad that Erron had taken care of her, but the months of being a prisoner showed in the haunted look in her eyes and the fear-tinged aura around her thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to spirit the girl away and give her time to recover.

It was not up to him, however. He just had to sit and wait and report in on what happened in that office. He was not disappointed.

He found fights to be arousing and the scent of blood made him dizzy with delight. Hearing Sonya’s dying breaths was a treat he was eager to devour, wishing that there had been a way to draw the process out so that he could listen to General Blade dying for hours. He wasn’t disappointed in Cassie’s nerve, though; it took a lot to kill someone that you used to respect and love.

He waited for her to leave the room before he got to work covering everything up. Cameras were disabled, records of comings and goings were reset, and any trace that anyone other than Sonya had been in her office were wiped. He would have to deal with the guards outside next and make sure that no one bothered Cassie as she made her escape.

All in a day’s work, really. He’d cleaned up and staged worse crime scenes than this. It was what he did.


	16. Chapter 16

Erron smiled as Cassie walked across the tarmac to him. He opened his arms and she threw herself against him, tucking her head under his chin. She was right on schedule, just like Kano’s inside man had promised.

“Ssh, darlin’,” he soothed. “I’m here.”

“You were right,” she whispered. “You and Kano, you were right.”

“Ssh,” he repeated before leading Cassie over to the waiting car. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really am.”

She started crying as soon as he closed the door behind them. He signaled for the driver to take them away from the less-than-secluded SF base and the car pulled out of the parking lot. He held Cassie close, comforting her as she recounted what the General had said. He was a little surprised by how callous Sonya was to her own daughter after being held hostage for almost half a year, but he was grateful that it had worked out so wonderfully.

He couldn’t have planned it better himself. Sonya’s stupid words had sealed her own fate.

“Kano’s going to be upset that he wasn’t there to gut her for you,” Erron said. “But, I’m sure he’ll be happy that one of his knives ended her anyways.”

Cassie nodded. “I spent my whole life trying to be everything she wanted me to be,” she whispered. “And, and the minute I need help, she tossed me aside like trash. She only cared about me as a soldier, not as a daughter. She, she even used excuses to placate me.”

She closed her eyes and hid her face in Erron’s shirt. He ran his hand up and down her back, letting her know that he was there for her. She huddled in close to him, whimpering as her tears fell faster down her face. She was full on bawling within a few minutes and Erron closed the partition window so that the driver wasn’t disturbed.

“How could I have been so blind?” she sobbed.

“We always want to think our parents love us,” Erron soothed as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “It ain’t your fault, Cassie.”

“I can’t…I can’t,” Cassie shook her head, sobbing hard against his chest. “I hate her so much!”

“I know, baby girl,” he said. “But you never have to worry about her again. She’s gone.”

“Yes, she is,” Cassie agreed before letting out a broken laugh. “I slit her fucking throat and it felt so good.”

“Your Uncle Kano’s going to love to hear that,” Erron chuckled. “You should try to sleep; you look like you’ve been through the wringer.”

Her head rested against his chest and he smirked as she closed her eyes.

Kano was going to be so fucking pleased with this news. They had been a little skeptical that Cassie would actually have the nerve to do what they had discussed, but he was very proud of her. He wiped a bit of dried blood off of her chin before starting to hum quietly to help sooth her off to sleep. They would make an assassin out of her yet.

* * *

 

Kano chuckled as Cassie recounted what she had done to General Blade. He met Erron’s gaze and looked back at the girl.

“Well, I think you’ve more than proven yourself, sweetheart,” he said. “Welcome to the Black Dragon; I’m sure you’ll find it much more accommodating than the army ever was.”

Cassie nodded her head as she reached up to wipe her eyes. He rose out of his chair and stepped closer, gently wiping her tears away before kissing her forehead.

“You make this old man proud,” he crooned before patting her shoulder. “Now go get cleaned up. Want you bright-eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Cassie nodded again before ducking out of the room.

Kano waited until her footsteps had long since faded away before he let out a laugh. He grabbed Erron and hauled him close, kissing his lover tenderly.

“Erron Black, you absolute genius!” he cackled. “I didn’t think it was going to work, but you, my man, are a miracle worker!”

Erron chuckled before kissing him back. “I think that’s worth double my usual rates,” he purred before groping Kano’s package through his pants. “If you think you can handle that, of course.”

“Mmm,” Kano purred before grinding down into the hand. “Going to have to wait for that. I have a few business transactions to deal with. Don’t worry, though,” he bit Erron’s lip hard enough to make him hiss, “I plan on making you scream for mercy.”

“That hasn’t happened yet,” Erron growled as he dragged his nails down Kano’s chest. “But I like a bit of a challenge.”

“As do I, gorgeous,” Kano purred before slapping Erron’s ass. “Now get going so I don’t have this wonderful thing distracting me from my meetings.”

Erron growled at the rough treatment before he turned and left the room. Kano wanted nothing more than to follow the man and fuck him over every available surface, but he had a job to deal with first. Business first, then pleasure. And then training his newly acquired niece to make the SF regret the day they let her out of their sight.

Now that was going to be a hoot and a half to watch.

* * *

 

Cassie was a wreck for several days. Erron did his best to be patient with her, knowing that while he had been all too happy to put a bullet between the eyes of his parents, Cassie had actually loved hers. It would take some time for her to heal from the fact that she had murdered her mother. He couldn’t shatter whatever trust he had earned with the girl by acting like a hardass before she was ready for it.

Still, he could do without all the tears. How did someone even have that much water to waste on tears?

“You must think I’m so weak,” Cassie whispered as she pulled her knees up to her chest. “You don’t have to lie.”

“I don’t think you’re weak,” Erron said as he polished his pistols. “I think the tears are getting a tad excessive, but, hey, you actually loved your parents.”

“You didn’t?”

Erron shook his head. “Nah,” he said. “Ma and Pa were horrible. Not even ‘old timey folk’ horrible, you know, where tough love was misconstrued as the only way to raise a child. They were…hell, I don’t even know how to convey what they did to me.”

“Massively abusive?” Cassie looked at him.

“That’s the polite way to put it,” Erron scoffed. “I can tell you, no one mourned their passing. They were horrible people that never should have had children.”

“Well, if they didn’t, I wouldn’t have met you,” Cassie gave him a shaky smile. “So, silver lining?”

“Silver lining,” he agreed as he set his pistol on the table. “We have to start working you again if you want to get back in shape.”

“I’m not that out of shape, Erron,” Cassie frowned.

“You’re lean, not fighting fit,” Erron smirked. “Don’t worry; I’ll whip you into shape.”

“Yeah, sure you will, cowboy,” she smiled before looking at her feet. “What are we going to do about my dad?”

“Well, if he tries anything, Kano’ll put him down,” Erron said as he leaned forward. “We don’t expect you to end the life of the man that raised and loved you.”

“He was always good to me,” Cassie murmured. “Don’t know what he saw in Mom. She was always so cold…like he was a joke that she was humoring. It…it’s terrible.”

“Well, he’s free of that now,” Erron said as he got to his feet. “Get some loose clothing on; we’ll hit the mats in about an hour.”

“Hope you’re ready to lose,” Cassie gave him a shaky grin.

“Haven’t lost yet,” Erron smirked. He walked over and kissed her forehead, holding her face for a moment. “I’m very proud of you, Cassie,” he said.

“Thanks, Erron,” Cassie smiled as more tears sprang to her eyes. “That means a lot.”

“I know,” he smiled and kissed her forehead again. “Now go get changed. I mean it.”

* * *

 

Sparring with Erron felt good. He knocked her on her ass more times than she would like to admit and she only managed to get a bloody nose out of him, but it was exactly what she needed. She was done wallowing in misery; putting all of that misery into action felt like a weight was lifted from her soul.

It felt good to bloody her knuckles, to feel knuckles digging into her face and chest, and to hit the mat with an unforgiving thud. She felt more alive than she had in a long time, ready for whatever the world threw at her. She could see that Erron was feeling the exact same way.

He did not go easy on her. Their “training” was brutal and he only backed off when she hit the mat and did not get up right away. He circled like a puma, accessing if she was playing possum or not, before stepping in to get her back on her feet. He had lots of water set aside for them and fruit to help keep their blood sugar from plunging too far while they worked out. There was an assortment of nuts too, but those were gone once Kano showed up to watch them. Apparently, the man did not share what he considered to be the best snack in the world.

There was a very dirty joke to be had there, but Cassie didn’t dare voice it. Not yet, anyways.

Kano did not join in on the sparring. Cassie wasn’t sure why until Erron rolled his eyes and said that Kano would just make everything raunchy without proper reason. She laughed at the idea before settling back into a fighting stance and preparing for whatever Erron was about to throw at her.

The man hit like a Mac truck. It was incredible. She didn’t think she’d ever sparred with anyone that hit that hard. Even Jax always pulled his punches with her and Jacqui. Erron did not. He put all his weight into every swing, forcing her to dodge or block if she wanted to remain on her feet. It was very different to the training she was used to.

There had never been any real threat to her getting seriously injured. Even if she did end up breaking a bone, there were medics on hand to deal with it and a CO to chew out the overly aggressive asshole. Erron wasn’t giving her the chance to think about getting hurt; there was just enough time to react, make a quick decision, and hope she didn’t get laid flat.

“Not bad, kid,” Erron approved as he knocked her on her ass. “Might make something of you yet.”

“Fuck you,” Cassie grinned before she sprawled out on her back. “I need a breather.”

“Take your time,” Erron chuckled as he tapped her foot with his. “Don’t want you to pass out in the middle of training.”

“You just don’t want to haul my ass back to my room,” she lifted her head and grinned at him.

“You’re learning,” he smirked before turning and walking over to Kano.

Cassie dropped her head back to the mat and inhaled deeply. It had been a very long time since she had felt this exhausted after training. Too often she was left with too much energy and nothing to do with it. It felt amazing. It felt right.

Her mother had been wrong. Kano wasn’t the problem. Kano was a solution to a problem she didn’t know she had. It was freedom in a way she’d never felt before. It was going to be a change, but she was going to enjoy it as long as she could.


	17. Epilogue

Jacqui woke to the sound of someone kicking a can across the concrete floor of the cell she was in. She lifted her head quickly, feeling the world spin around her. She was starving, but there was no way in hell that she was eating anything the Black Dragon gave her. They probably poisoned it and she was not dying of dysentery or anything else that was included in her insides turning into liquid.

She stared at the woman standing in front of her cell, not believing what she was seeing. She got to her feet slowly, approaching the bars as the woman gave her a painfully familiar smirk.

“You look like shit, Jacqui,” Cassandra Cage said as she set her hands on her hips. “You have a bathtub; use it.”

“Cassie?” Jacqui asked. “You…we were so worried. You…General Blade…is dead….”

“I know,” Cassie gave her a wicked smirk that did not belong on her face. “I’m the one that stabbed her.”

Jacqui felt her blood run cold. The General’s office didn’t have surveillance cameras working the day that she died; hadn’t for a few days prior either; but she never would have thought that Cassie would ever kill her mother. There had been rumors, but no one was sure what the truth was.

“Why?” she whispered. “Why would you do that? You just got back to base; we’d just saved you!”

“Saved me?” Cassie laughed. “Fucking hell, she took her sweet fucking time getting me out of Kano’s hands. Dragged her fucking feet the whole time, refusing to give Kano even the barest minimum for a sergeant, let alone her own fucking daughter.”

“We tried to get you out of there….”

“Yeah, and you failed every damn time,” Cassie snorted. “Honestly, SF is a joke.”

“How can you say that? We were your family!”

“Some family! The only person that ever gave a rat’s ass about me was Dad and he had so little power he may as well have been a cadet. I was left to Kano’s whims and the General was fucking lucky they wanted me alive.”

“How could you do that?” Jacqui stared at the woman that had been her friend. “How could you kill your own mother?”

Cassie grinned. It wasn’t her normal grin; there was something unhinged about it. Not completely detached from reality, but definitely lacking in the normal emotions that humans were supposed to express when exposed to something like death. The Cassie standing in front of her was not the same Cassie that she had grown up with. Jacqui didn’t know who she was, only that she was dangerous.

“She made it really easy. See, Erron Black had been working me slowly for months, making me trust him, making me want to please him,” Cassie said. “But, the thing is, he put the emotions there, but once I was back on base, I could do anything I wanted. I had Kano’s knife in my pocket, weighing it down and reminding me that it would have made both of them so happy if Sonya Blade died. I didn’t want to. Sonya was my mother and my mother loved me, right?”

Jacqui nodded, watching as Cassie shifted her weight as she told her story. There was a giddiness to her voice that she didn’t like. Cassie only ever used to get that excited when she found out something stupidly adorable was going to happen on some show she watched. She’d never gotten that way over recounting the lives she’d taken. It was wrong, so very, very wrong.

“Well, turns out that was a massive fucking lie. I spent my whole life looking up to her, wanting so badly to be just like her, to be worthy of her genetics, and all she saw me as was another soldier. I was just another underling to look after and order around. She only wanted ‘yes, ma’ams’ out of me. She didn’t care that I was her daughter; I was just another body to throw at her enemy.”

“That’s not true, Cass,” Jacqui shook her head. “Sonya loved you.”

“Did she?” Cassie’s lip curled. “Did she really? She said the words, sure, but she didn’t mean them. She said them because it was expected of her. Dad, though, he loved me. I always knew that he loved me. Everything he did screamed how much he loved me and was proud of me. He’s the only piece of that old life I regret.”

She looked at her feet for a moment, frowning. Jacqui watched her blink back tears and wondered if there was a chance to talk sense into her. If she could just convince her that this wasn’t her….

“I can see the wheels turning in your head,” Cassie said. “What’s got you all bothered?”

“Cass, this isn’t you,” Jacqui said.

“Oh, but it is,” Cassie laughed. “This is me, Jacqui, and I’m loving it.”

“They’re using you.”

“Oh, I know,” Cassie grinned. “Kano spilled everything a few years ago. Not sure if he felt bad or just wanted to get back at Erron for something, but he told me that they were toying with me.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah. Hurt at first, but I’m grateful for it now. I never would have done anything like this in SF. I’m practically a fucking god, Jacqui.”

“Delusions of grandeur don’t suit you.”

“It’s not a delusion.” Cassie leaned against the bars, grinning darkly. “No one would dare touch me. I could piss in the street and the police wouldn’t even think about coming after me. Shoot up a mall, steal candy from a baby, I can do it all and the most that I would expect is Erron to scold me for being reckless.”

Jacqui stared at her. “What have you become, Cassie?” she asked.

“A Black Dragon,” Cassie smirked. “You’re a little too far gone for Kano to want, but, he does think you could be worth some money. Even losing in the Cage can keep you alive if you make it worth his time.”

“You aren’t going to let me out?” Jacqui demanded.

“Do I have stupid stamped across my forehead?” Cassie laughed. “Besides, I want to see you get your ass beaten. It’ll be fun.”

Jacqui glared at Cassie as her former best friend took a step back. She glanced to her left and looked to be listening to something. Cassie gave her a wink before turning and walking away, the knives on her belt clicking as she went. Jacqui watched, wondering what had become of her best friend. Had Kano and Erron Black really twisted her beyond recovery, or was she just playing the part, hoping for a chance to escape?

* * *

 

“Figured you’d be here sooner.”

Cassie shrugged as she dropped into the chair beside Erron. There was a bloody fight going on in the Cage between two Black Dragons that had some sort of stupid dispute that could only be settled in a scrap. She really didn’t see the point of the fights half the time, but they were fun as hell to watch. Always served to hype the crowd up for the real show to come.

“Wanted to see how my old friend was doing,” she said. “Don’t remember her being that whiny.”

Erron chuckled as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Or you’ve just lost your tolerance for it.”

“Maybe,” she grinned at him. “Should be fun to watch Takeda wipe the floor with her.”

“Pity she can’t be swayed.”

“Too brainwashed,” Cassie shrugged. “Where’s Kano?”

Erron shrugged. If Erron didn’t know where his lover was, there wasn’t any way for her to find him. That was too bad; he loved watching ex-SF soldiers fight Takeda. There was something exhilarating about it and Kano was always cheering the loudest.

“This seat taken?”

Cassie grinned as Kenshi settled down in the chair next to her. She had been floored when she learned that Kenshi had been a Black Dragon all along. She’d grown up at the man’s knee and had never thought of him as anything but a loyal supporter of SF and her parents. Turns out, that was just a very good way to keep himself out of the spotlight.

Didn’t save Suchin from the Red Dragon assassins, though. All those involved would pay in time; Kenshi was making sure of that. One by one, all those that helped to take his wife’s life were being snuffed out. Takeda was helping when he wasn’t double-crossing SF with bad information and dodging Hanzo’s damn-near godlike gaze. It was all a very strangely family-oriented hit list and she loved it.

“How was Hong Kong?” she asked.

“Humid,” Kenshi said as he leaned back in his seat. “Takeda seemed sad when I spoke with him.”

“Not looking forward to beating the shit out of Jacqui, probably.”

“Oh?” Kenshi cocked his head to the side. “We managed to capture her?”

“We,” Erron snorted. “I captured her, thanks. The rest of the group had their thumbs up their asses.”

“Lovely mental image,” Kenshi hummed. “Did you managed to capture…?”

“No, Johnny managed to slip the net,” Erron sighed. “Maybe next time.”

Kenshi frowned before reaching out to ruffle Cassie’s hair. She squawked at the rough treatment, reaching out to bat at his hand. He chuckled and pulled her in for a forehead kiss, earning a long whine from her.

“I’m surrounded by fathers!”

“Could be worse,” Erron snorted. “Kano could act like your dad, too.”

“Fuck, that would be horrible! He’s bad enough as an uncle!”

Kenshi chuckled as the crowd went wild. The unconscious Dragon was hauled out of the Cage while the victor strode out with their face a bloodied mess. Victory in the end, she guessed. She leaned forward in her seat as she heard a commotion coming from the crowd, grinning as she caught sight of a familiar face.

Jacqui was thrown into the Cage and the doors slammed shut behind her. She spun like a cornered rat, baring her teeth as she searched for a way out. The crowd screamed and cheered, beating their fists on the chain-link fence around the Cage. Cassie whistled loudly and laughed in delight at the show that was about to begin.

The crowd parted as a figure moved towards the Cage. Hands clapped wide shoulders as the figure walked past, ignoring the cheering. The Cage doors opened and Takeda stepped into the ring. Jacqui spun around and stared at him, clearly not understanding what she was looking at.

Takeda moved towards her and threw the first punch. Jacqui didn’t react fast enough and took the punch across her jaw. Cassie cackled in glee, grinning as Jacqui stumbled back to keep away from her aggressive attacker.

This was going to be great!

* * *

 

Erron smirked as he watched Takeda beat the ever-living shit out of Jacqui. She was putting up a decent enough fight to make it worth the money needed to keep her healthy, so that was something to pat herself on the back for. He was going to love hearing how confused she was over her boyfriend being her opponent and having no qualms about fighting her so viciously. It was always so much fun to see SF soldiers get pounded into oblivion by the Shirai Ryu chujin.

He glanced over his shoulder as he heard Kano’s footsteps. His lover walked over and kissed him in greeting, purring heavily before he dropped onto his couch and spread himself out to watch the fight below. Erron made a show of stretching before standing to throw himself onto Kano’s chest, loving the pained grunt it earned him.

“Did you have to put all of your weight into that?” Kano grunted.

“Yes. Yes I did,” Erron smirked. “Where were you?”

“Meeting.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Might know how to catch the elusive Mister Cage.”

“Kenshi will love that.”

Kenshi’s head snapped around and he could almost see his glowing blue eyes blazing beneath the cloth. Erron blew the man a kiss and got flipped off for the teasing. Apparently, Kenshi did not appreciate them making fun of his desire for Johnny Cage. It wasn’t like he was trying to hide the fact that he was pining for the actor.

“But, please, do go on,” Erron smirked as he leaned forward to kiss Kano’s mouth.

Kano’s fingers dug into the meat of Erron’s ass. He growled against Erron’s probing tongue, nipping the end as he started to sit up.

“Well, if I tell you, you’ll run off and have all the fun,” Kano said as he forced Erron to straddle his hips.

Erron did his best not to groan as he felt Kano’s half-chub bumping against his thigh. It wouldn’t do to traumatize their “niece”, even if he was pretty certain she’d heard all of their rough sex over the years once she moved into the room closer to theirs. It was the principle of the matter; don’t fuck or be too obvious with the foreplay in front of the child. It just wasn’t done.

“Takeda won,” Cassie announced. “Anyone surprised.”

“Only that he was able to fight her,” Kano snorted as he reached up to grab a fistful of Erron’s hair, pulling his head back so that his throat was exposed. “He’s more of a boy scout than you are, Kenshi.”

“It wasn’t a fight to the death; Takeda likely convinced himself that it was merely sparring, nothing else.”

“And Jacqui does love it when he wrestles her to the ground.”

“Good to know,” Kano chuckled before he started sucking on Erron’s throat. “Let me know how the next fight goes.”

“Do you two have to do that here?”

“My lounge, my rules,” Kano growled. “Be happy I don’t have him already sucking my….”

“Don’t,” Erron warned as he put a fist against Kano’s groin. “You be nice to our Princess.”

Cassie laughed happily at the nickname, throwing him a grin before she turned her attention back to the Cage. Erron smirked before biting his lip as Kano returned to ravaging his neck. This was the life.

Soon enough, it would be just as fun to watch Kenshi train Johnny how to be a good little lapdog. They just had to grab the man first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I want you all to know that Kenshi being a Black Dragon was not the plan originally. He didn't have any place in the story until I was almost finished and he decided to stick his head in and go "hey, bitch, I want in on this too!" "But you're a good guy." "Double Agent~" "But I'm already mostly done!" "Don't care, add me."
> 
> So here we are, getting ready to do another series because Kenshi decided to be a shit and demand his own time in the spotlight. Man is insufferable!


End file.
